Lovely Rebel
by Bloody Winged
Summary: Ed's brother puts him on a boarding school after having had to deal with him one time too often. - Ed/Original!Greed, leading to Ed/Roy and Ed/Roy/Original!Greed
1. Chapter 1

_**Lovely rebel**_  
_**Rating:**_ NC-17/MA (Though the lemons won't be posted here. Therefore the Rating for here stands at R/M)  
_**Pairing(s)/Threesome:**_ Ed/Greed, later there will be Ed/Roy which will finally lead up to Ed/Greed/Roy. Oh, and I even managed to squeeze in past Roy/Ed XD There are also hints at past Al/Winry  
_**Warnings:**_ angst, sap, AT, lemons, Ed's mouth, humor, trying to sound as if I understand alchemy XD  
_**Word Count Chapter:**_ 3.099  
_**Summary:**_ Ed's brother puts him on a boarding school after having had to deal with him one time too often.  
_**Thanks:**_ To anime_gal22 (lj) and lectawindwalker (lj and ) for the amazing Beta jobs they did on this! *hugs them both*  
_**Author's Note:**_ This was written for greedy_lover (lj) for winning my 'Monthly ff'-quiz last August and September on lj(and yes, I'm well aware that that is kind of at a stand-still... ^^;;).  
Her prompt was Ed/Greed in High School or College but, seeing that I'm not much for writing AU's (or was... seems like a lot has changed ever since I started this), I didn't go with AU but with AT – meaning we're still in Amestris, only roughly about 100 years in the future. Also, it morphed a bit (like crazy more like it... ^^;;), so that it actually turned into her OT3. Ed and Greed are both 17 at the beginning of the fic, with Greed being a few months older than Ed (I'll only mention Ed's birthday though, so everyone can guess that Greed's will be sometime in between). Roy, who will only get into the story later on will be in his early twenties – probably around 22 .  
Also to note is that Ed's brother _isn't_ Alphonse in here. His brother is _older_ than him and named Max.  
As for the length of the chapters: The length will vary, seeing that I'll try to cut them in logical places. The only thing I can say for sure already is that the lemons (of which there are some) will stand as chapters of their own and **WON'T** get posted here. You can find a link in my profile that leads you to my FF Master List on LJ. You can easily read the lemons there. I'll make a note at the end of every chapter before a lemon, so you won't miss it. Also, I won't post here the week the lemon is due, so you'll get a second hint. That was done because doesn't allow for explicit mature content. I know that there are some writers who don't care and post their lemons anyway, but I won't do that.

I'll post this story weekly (every Sunday), until I'm going to run out of chapters (which should take quite some time. And hopefully until then I'll have the rest finished)  
That said - enjoy! ^__^

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_**Lovely Rebel**_

"Class, from today on we have a new student – Edward Elric. Edward, please take the seat beside George. And remember: While we have alchemy classes at this school, the use of alchemy outside of these classes is strictly forbidden. Even for you."

Edward looked bored as he went over to the designated seat, waving a hand to show that he had understood, but not making any promises.

As Edward approached his seat, a shorthaired and well-muscled boy grinned at him and held out a hand.

"Hey. My name is George – though I would prefer if you would call me Greed. It's something of a nickname." He wriggled his eyebrows, making it clear why he had gotten said nickname, causing Ed to smirk. He took the hand with his right – the automail one – and gave it a good squeeze, making sure that Greed noticed the metal below his glove. Satisfied with the widening of the taller boys eyes, he let go and dropped himself on the chair, leaning back so that only two of the chairs legs were connecting with the floor, smirking at the other.

"Edward. Though Ed is fine."

And so it started.

~*~*~H~*~*~

"This is the third time since you came here that you have been caught doing alchemy outside of classes. Considering that you've been here for only two weeks, that's quite the number. Do you have anything to say to that?" the headmaster asked, watching the blond standing before his desk carefully. Edward didn't seem to care why he was here, adopting a bored stance. The man's eyes narrowed somewhat.

"I have to admit that you have an outstanding talent for alchemy – something I'm sure got passed down in your bloodline. It's no secret that you are a direct heir to Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist-"

"Wrong."

"…Excuse me?"

"I'm a direct descendent of Alphonse – Edwards brother. Great-grandfather Edward was gay and more or less married to Roy Mustang. There was no way for him to ever have kids. Just because I look like him doesn't mean I'm _like_ him."

The headmaster cleared his throat and sorted some of his papers – a clear stalling tactic as he hadn't expected this kind of information.

"However, the Fullmetal Alchemist's brother was only slightly less famous than him, so it's still no surprise. But it doesn't mean that you have the right to do alchemy whenever you want. It's a dangerous science that-"

"-that can do more harm than good in the wrong hands. Please headmaster, spare me the speech. I have already gotten it at least from six teachers. I'm sure that I won't forget it until I die." Ed exaggerated while rolling his eyes.

"If you have heard it so often, one would think you would be able to take it to heart by now. But never mind. As for your punishment, you won't be allowed to carry any chalk, pens or pre-made arrays with you outside of your classes. This will remain valid until your teachers decide that you can be trusted with them again."

Edward gave him a mocking salute, not seeming to care about the new rule at all.

"Can I go now, headmaster?" he asked, voice uninterested. Sighing the other man made a shooing motion towards the door.

"Yes, you may take your leave now." 'Before, I strangle you and your attitude' he added in his head, watching the blond go. The boy's older brother had warned him about Edward when he had him enrolled. This school was famous for how they managed to control troublemakers – and as he had said, his younger brother was a first-class trouble magnet. He had managed to get thrown out of four schools before Max finally broke down and enrolled him here.

And slowly the headmaster was beginning to see why.

~*~*~H~*~*~

"How did it go?" Greed asked as Ed came back to their dorm room. They had managed to get roomed together as George's old roommate had had an unfortunate… accident two days after Edward had come to their school. An accident that left him weary to ever go back to their room. Ed had been so 'kind' and offered to swap with him.

The blond smirked at him and threw his backpack on his bed before flopping down himself.

"The good headmaster still has a lot to learn about me. He left me quite a few loopholes." He grinned at his roommate and friend before sitting up again and getting out one of his alchemy books from under his bed. He may not be Edward Elric's direct descendent, but that didn't mean he didn't share his love for alchemy. In his eyes, it was a pity that he couldn't do it with just a clap of his hands, even though he had heard his great-grandfather hadn't been too happy about the reason why he had been able to do it. He had never bothered to ask for more information though. It has been bad enough that he has gotten compared to him whenever the opportunity arose. Their uncanny resemblance has been questioned more than once, even more so since he was conceived only a month after Edward died. There were more speculations about whether Ed was a reincarnation than he cared for. And then he had gotten the automail…

That was something he didn't like to think about. Max, his brother, had said it was a sign, but Ed didn't believe in signs, didn't _want_ to believe in signs.

It had been a plane accident. He had been eleven and his parents had taken him on a family vacation, while Max had to stay at home because of some big project. His brother was seven years older than him. At the time he really hadn't cared about what Max was doing.

On their way back, there were machine troubles and the plane crashed. He was the sole survivor, but had lost both his right arm and left leg in the accident.

Max had taken custody of him, along with their aunt, Sarah. Both had both been shocked upon learning which limbs he had lost and having known his great-grandfather's brother, and insisted that it had to be a sign.

Sarah, having taken over her grandmother's business, made the automail for him. And while he had to admit that it had hurt like hell, he was glad that he had decided to go through with it. They had given him the choice, knowing how much he resented being compared to Fullmetal. However, in the end his wish to be able to walk around on his own again had won out. And now, six years later, he barely noticed it anymore.

Taking up a pen and paper he made some notes as he read, drawing transmutation arrays and making simple changes to them as he went along, so that they wouldn't be as complicated anymore. Greed had moved toward his bed and watched him work, having learned pretty fast that it was of no use to try and talk him out of something alchemy-related.

"What are you doing?" he asked, watching Ed scribble down yet another array. The blond didn't even look up from what he was doing as he answered.

"The headmaster forbids me from carrying anything with me that I could use for drawing an array or any pre-made arrays. However, a while ago I had the idea of tattooing the most important arrays to the tips of my fingers and I think I should do that now. He can't very well demand that I cut off my fingers after all. And since I wear my gloves all the time anyway it doesn't make much of a difference." He grinned up at him and Greed had to laugh, holding his hand up for a high five.

"That's certainly like you. But how will you manage to get past the guard to go off campus?" he asked, letting himself fall down to sit on Ed's bed with him, carefully avoiding the books and notes lying around. He knew that his roommate was pretty cool with just about any of his personal stuff, but when it came to alchemy he could get pissy.

The blond just _looked_ at him and lifted an eyebrow.

"Who said I'll need to go off campus for something like that?" he drawled, indicating with his hand towards his notes. "All I need is this and", he grabbed ink from the desk that stood beside his bed, holding it up for Greed to get a good look, "this." The green-eyed teen grinned even more at that. While he was pretty decent in his alchemy classes, he had seen Ed in action and therefore he knew what kind of genius the blond was when it came to the science.

Watching the smaller boy work out everything he needed for his impromptu-tattooing session, he took a look at the books lying around. Finding one that seemed pretty worn he carefully lifted it for a closer inspection. Opening it he could see that there were only handwritten notes in there. In handwriting that resembled Ed's so much it could be mistaken as his – if Greed didn't know better. There was a slight edge that this script held that Ed's didn't have.

"What's this?" he asked, paging through the book. The golden-eyed youth only lifted his gaze for a second from what he was doing before turning back to carefully drawing his chosen arrays on the paper he intended to transfer them from.

"That's the journal of my great-grandfather's brother. I'm pretty sure you've heard of him – he was the Fullmetal Alchemist. We share the same name." He told him in a somewhat bored voice, sketching some finer details in his current array that Greed could barely make out.

"You don't sound all that impressed by that. One would think that with your alchemy obsession you would be delighted to have his personal notes," the taller of the two noted, watching Ed carefully. His roommate had the nasty habit of lashing out at the weirdest things, so he had learned to watch out for the triggers. He could be a pretty quick study if he wanted. Something his teachers bemoaned ever since he had come to this school.

"I like the notes – don't get me wrong. But I'm sick and tired of getting compared to him. Max and Aunt Sarah can go on and on for hours about how I'm his reincarnation, and that I should act like him and all this shit. I'm me and no matter how much I resemble him or how many 'signs' there are, that still doesn't _make_ me him." The last part was said with an angry, and somewhat bitter, edge. Greed could imagine how much this must irritate Ed. He had rarely met someone as fiercely independent and unique as the blond. Getting compared to one of his ancestors constantly must be a major annoyance. Making a sympathetic sounding grunt, he paged through the journal some more, noting out of the corner of his eyes that his roommate gave him a grateful look for dropping the subject before going back to working on his arrays.

Edward was really misunderstood. The teachers and most of the other students viewed him as the classical hot-shot troublemaker with no feelings what-so-ever, but they got him all wrong. While it couldn't be denied that trouble seemed to follow him around, he rarely ever looked for it. His attitude could be explained with how much he hated getting swooned at by all the idiotic teenage girls that ran after him all the time and seemed to think he was just 'too adorable' – something Edward had expressed a deep hatred for more than once. Not to mention that most of the other boys just wanted to rough him up all the time to show that he wasn't a 'real guy'. Apparently, in their opinion, 'real guys' didn't have long hair. Though, in Greed's opinion at least, they were only envious that the girls weren't running like that after them. And it wasn't like Ed really let them get away with it. He had yet to meet someone other than himself who would be able to hold their own in a fight against the blond.

The teachers all had had their prejudges, set from the very day Max had enrolled Ed in this school, with a careful warning to watch out for his brother. The dark-haired teen still couldn't believe that his roommate's brother actually told something like that to the headmaster and the teachers here. Edward had just shrugged and told him this was just the way it was. Apparently he and Max had never gotten along that well.

_"But that is no reason for him to just shove you off to a school for 'complicated teens' and tell all the personnel here to watch out for you! He might as well have given them permission to beat you!" the taller of the two argued as he heard the story behind how Ed had ended up here._

_"I'm pretty sure he would have if it wasn't forbidden by the law. Max has always been resentful ever since the accident. He claims that only because the 'signs' needed to come true; Mom and Dad had to die. Which is absolute bullshit, but he is bound and determined to defend his theory. And the fact that I'm nothing like _him_ pisses him off without end."_

_"Signs? What signs are you talking about?" The green-eyed teen asked, earning him a weary smile._

_"Nothing special. Maybe one day I'll tell you, for now you just need to know that I think it's bullshit."_

He remembered their conversation now. They'd had it the day Ed moved into their room and he had explained to him why it had been so difficult to actually get the teachers to agree to move him from his single room to a shared one.

Really, they got him all wrong. Once you actually managed to get to know the blond, and were considered trustworthy enough for him to open up to you, there was a whole other side to him. Yes, he was moody. Yes, he had quite the temper. And yes, he was defiant to everyone who tried to order him around. But he was also way more sensitive than anyone gave him credit for. He had a gentle side that showed through whenever he was reading or doing anything alchemy-related. He was also fiercely protective of those he considered friends, which Greed had seen one day when one of the few guys who actually didn't get along with him had tried to taunt him. Before he could even open his mouth to answer, the guy, who had been about two and a half heads taller than Ed and nearly two times his shoulder-breadth, was brought down with a few well-placed kicks, crying for the blond to stop. That had also been the day on which the shorthaired teen had realized that Edward Elric was not someone you could mess with.

While thinking about this, he had continued to page through the journal, only concentrating on half of what he saw. He liked alchemy, and having the privilege to look through the private journal of one of the most famous alchemists that had lived was something he couldn't help but be grateful for, but he wasn't the geek Edward was. It was only when he came upon a certain word – a name really – that he paused and started to read in earnest, a slight frown on his face.

Ed noticed after a while that the sound of pages getting turned had nearly shut down completely and looked up, feeling that something… _heavy_ was lying in the air. Looking at his roommate to ask him if he felt the same, he stopped himself when he saw the look of deep concentration on Greed's face. It wasn't all that often that you could find the taller teen so absorbed by something.

He only watched him for about half a minute, noting the sharp jawbone, the clean profile and the intense eyes of the other youth, before Greed finally looked up.

"Ed?" he asked, getting a slightly distracted 'Yes?' as an answer.

"Have you ever read this journal?" he continued, not being deterred by the way the other teen was looking at him. To be honest, he didn't even notice the blond's distracted state. Ed, shaking himself from his strange mood, shook his head.

"No. Max only gave me the journals a short while ago, before I came to this school. Apparently he felt like I needed to have them, probably something to do with the fact that he still thinks they belong to me or something like that." He shrugged. "But I haven't gotten around to taking a good look at them all. Why? Did you find something interesting?"

The taller teen just nodded and gave him the journal, turning the pages to where he had started before pointing with his finger to where he wanted Ed to read.

"Here, read. And tell me this isn't some kind of weird coincidence." He told him before settling himself against the wall the bed stood alongside of, watching him read. Giving his roommate a confused look and lifting an eyebrow, the golden-eyed teen complied.

_… the homunculus Greed…_

_… having kidnapped Al to find a way to become immortal…_

_… tall, short black hair, seemed to always wear sunglasses…_

_…ouroboros on the back of his left hand…_

_…seemed to be the outcast of the other homunculi…_

_…nice to his followers… confusing…_

_…taught me the way to kill a homunculus…_

_…wanted to be killed by me…_

At this point Ed looked up again, noticing that his hands were shaking slightly. There was a quick sketch of the homunculus, as well as the Ouroboros beside the notes, but he was still trying to stomach what he had just learned.

"It can't be…" he whispered, his head turning from left to right in denial. All this time he had refused to believe that he was the reincarnation of Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. Only to be shown now that his roommate and best friend very obviously was the perfect mirror-image of the homunculus that his great-grandfather's brother had killed.

Greed just shrugged and gave him a weary and slightly apologetic smile. "Well, for all it's worth, I would have preferred to be killed by you too. These other homunculi sound really nasty."

That was where Edward started to laugh hysterically.

~*~*~H~*~*~

* * *

That was part one ^___^ As I already said, next Sunday part two will get up. I hope you all enjoyed! :D


	2. Chapter 2

_**Lovely rebel**_  
_**Rating:**_ M  
_**Pairing(s)/Threesome:**_ Ed/Greed, later there will be Ed/Roy which will finally lead up to Ed/Greed/Roy. Oh, and I even managed to squeeze in past Roy/Ed XD There are also hints at past Al/Winry  
_**Warnings:**_ angst, sap, AT, lemons, Ed's mouth, humor, trying to sound as if I understand alchemy XD  
_**Word Count Chapter:**_ 3.939  
_**Word Count FF posted to date:**_ 7.038  
_**Summary:**_ Ed's brother puts him on a boarding school after having had to deal with him one time too often.  
_**Thanks:**_ To anime_gal22 and lectawindwalker for the amazing Beta jobs they did on this! *hugs them both*  
_**Author's Note:**_ Chapter two of my crazy AT monster XD This is still for greedy_lover, though I hope everyone else reading it is enjoying it as well ^_^

* * *

_**Lovely Rebel - Chapter 2**_

It had been three days, and slowly Ed seemed to come to grips with the fact that, while what his brother and aunt had said didn't have to necessarily be _true_ – there seemed to be a few very good points to it.

He had contacted Sarah and asked her about his namesake, making her swear to not tell Max about this. Sarah and he usually got along just fine, though he hated that she had the same idiotic notion that his soul was the same as the one of the Fullmetal Alchemist. Well, a notion that might not be as idiotic as he had previously thought.

And what he found out surprised him. Seeing that she was older than his brother – a given, since she was the older sister of their father – she had known their great-grandfather and his brother better than Max. His brother always told him how wise and quiet Edward seemed to be, how he contemplated his words before he said them. That he had a natural talent to interfere with fights and find a peaceful solution. In other words: that he had been the perfect opposite of Ed.

Sarah, however, told him now that that was only partially true. That, while Fullmetal had taken on a more 'mature' side as he aged, he still loved to argue with Roy, his brother and his brother's wife, Winry. She told him that she had never met anyone – other than Roy – who had such a knack for sarcasm. And the more he asked, the more she seemed to get into it, telling him about his infamous temper and his protectiveness, his braveness and his genius. At the end she had paused and her voice had taken on a more serious tone instead of the adoring-joking one she had had before.

_"If you really want to know what he was like you just have to watch yourself, Edward. I know you don't believe Max and me when we tell you that you're his spitting image, but you really are. If I hadn't seen you grow up I would have bet money on it that Fullmetal had found a way to travel to the future. Trust me, Edward. You _are_ him."_

Ed talked with Greed about this, and they both had agreed that even though they wanted to see further proof, after looking through the journals there was no real denying that there were at least some similarities.

They had also talked about the fact that Edward had to kill George's namesake, something that seemed to disturb them both. And as he finally finished with his arrays and wanted to put them on his fingers, the taller teen requested in a somewhat somber mood if Ed could tattoo the Ouroboros on him too.

_"Are you really sure about this? This isn't a normal tattoo. You won't be able to remove it again. Ever." The golden-eyed teen wanted to make sure. He could understand Greed's decision, but this was something that could become a problem should the knowledge about Homunculi ever became public._

_The other youth had nodded, none of his usual flippant attitude showing through._

_"We have good reason to believe that I'm his reincarnation. While with you it could still be that you simply look like your great-grandfather's brother, with me there is no other way. Greed was a homunculus – he couldn't have any children. The fact that I look like him and have chosen his name as my nickname, are too many indicators. I didn't get born with the Ouroboros because I'm not a homunculus anymore, but I want something that shows that we are the same."_

_Ed had just taken his hand in answer and squeezed it before copying down an exact replica of the Ouroboros in the journal to an empty piece of paper. He then drew the needed transmutation circle around it and showed Greed how to place his hand in it during the transmutation, while placing the ink beside it._

_"This will hurt, but you can't move, is that clear? If you move you could ruin the whole design." He had explained and then waited for the taller teens "Got it" before he brought his hands to the array._

_Greed bit his lip in preparation for the promised pain, but to his surprise it never came. Ed made a startled sound and then it was already over. The green-eyed teen had looked his tattoo over with satisfaction until he noticed that the shorter of the two was strangely quiet._

_"What is it? Everything seems to have gone just fine," he asked, not knowing what was bothering the alchemist._

_"It's red." Edward had simply said, not able to take his eyes away from the new Ouroboros tattoo on Greed's left hand. The black-haired teen had blinked at him, not really understanding what the problem was._

_"It's red. It's red like the one my great-grandfather described. But I placed black ink with you in the array. It shouldn't be red. It should be black."_

_At these words Greed's eyes had widened, looking at his tattoo with a new understanding._

_"That can only mean…" he started._

_"… that it was meant to be there," Ed had finished for him._

~*~*~H~*~*~

Today's classes had gone over relatively well. Ed was mostly bored with what they were taught, but both, he and Greed, had taken to reading the journals during their regular classes, which made it at least somewhat better. After they had finished their tattoos they had started to test some of their theories. They found out that the green-eyed teen had a certain affiliation when it came to working with all kinds of stones, but especially gemstones. Seeing that the homunculus Greed had been able to form an ultimate shield made out of black diamond for his whole body, that wasn't really a surprise.

Collecting all these signs, not even Edward could deny it anymore that George _had_ to be Greed's reincarnation. And so they started to work on finding a way how they could make the ultimate shield come true for him.

Which was what they were working on now, nearly three weeks after their first findings.

"It has to be alchemy." Ed insisted while walking through the length of their room, concentration painted on his face in a deep frown. "From what we have learned, there were seven homunculi. Hell, there might even be two left from what we learned of Fullmetal's journals. All of them had some special ability – and only Pride's would be difficult to explain through alchemy." He said, flopping down on his bed, lifting his hand and making the typical 'listing' motions.

"Lust transformed her fingers into a sharp metal – making them into dangerous knifes. Gluttony must have transformed his teeth into something that cut through anything he bit and his stomach must have had a special acid to accommodate all the things he ate. Wrath was able to merge his body with any given material. Sloth transmuted her whole body into water while Envy's took on the form of whomever he wanted and Greed was able to cover his with this shield made out of black diamond. They all ate red-stones – which are alchemic amplifiers. All their abilities can be explained through alchemy. Even Pride's advanced eyesight. The only thing that can't be explained…"

"…is the fact that Pride seemed to see what would happen before it happened," George finished for him, sitting on his own bed, notes all around him. If his teachers ever found out that he could dedicate himself like this to a project, they probably would break down and start weeping about why he didn't do it for their classes.

Ed nodded, his face sullen. They had gotten so far already – he didn't like that they had seemed to come to a stand-still now.

"Let's put Pride on a backseat for now. We are both sure that the homunculi used alchemy to use their special abilities, even though it was said they shouldn't be able to. Which means all we have to do is figure out how Greed did it. Your namesake said in his journals that he managed to kill him because he transformed the atoms back to something breakable. He also explained that seeing as the shield was made out of black diamond; it was the carbon particles that needed to be changed to take on a consistency that wasn't as durable anymore." The taller of the two stated, waiting for the blonde's nod of agreement before continuing.

"So all we should need to find out would be how I can utilize the carbon particles within my body in such a way. Though I guess I'll need to carry something with me at all times to push up my carbon-rate. There is no way the human body can carry enough carbon within it to cover itself completely. That must be where the red-stones come in."

Ed nodded again and jumped back up, once again pacing the length of the room.

"And that's where it becomes tricky. Merging your body with a material – any material – isn't the easiest of tasks. If you want to be a real stickler about the rules you could even say its human transmutation – which we both know is forbidden. We would need to find a way to make you absorb enough carbon to make the transmutation, but we also need to be careful that we don't poison you in the process."

Biting his lip he let himself fall back down on Greed's bed this time.

"I think we should start with you transmuting carbon into any material we can find. You need to be able to do it in your sleep. The same goes for the different degrees of hardness. If we really want to make this work, then carbon has to become second nature to you, no matter what you do – and don't give me that look, yes even during sex." The last part was added after seeing the affronted look the short-haired teen had thrown at him, even though they both knew he was only kidding. Even though Greed had introduced himself as some kind of sex-fiend, Ed had yet to see any evidence of that. It was simply something they didn't talk about in earnest, but joked about a lot.

"You are trying to kill me here." The green-eyed youth complained, though the amused sparkle in his eyes was a dead-giveaway that he was only joking. Edward didn't even bat an eye at him.

"It's you who wants to be like the original. Either you do what I say or die trying – your choice." He threw back.

"Aye-Aye Sir, Master Elric Sir." George replied to that, giving him a mock-salute. The blond just smirked at him.

"And remember that."

~*~*~H~*~*~

The following weeks were mostly used for training. While it was really Greed who needed to do all the work, Ed was there all the time, helping him as best he could. Though after using one of his arrays in a very blatant fashion right before a teacher, the headmaster had gotten somewhat… _angry_ with him and put some of the older punishments to good use on him. He now found himself sweeping the dorms floors every evening. A task that bored him to death and which he complained about daily. Loudly. With a lot of cursing. He continued to do so until the teachers had him wear a gag while he was working off his punishment. Which didn't mean no-one heard about it anymore – just not while he was cleaning.

While the blond was away, Greed usually read. He had always liked alchemy, but ever since they found out more about their counterparts, he was nearly as obsessed with it as Edward was. It was true that his main focus was on the carbon-transmutations, but as his roommate had explained to him, it was always better to know about more than just one kind of material. So while the golden-eyed youth had specialized in metals – it hadn't taken him long to figure out how to transform his automail just the way his namesake had done it, something that had brought him yet another punishment since he had said flash of genius right in front of half the student body and quite a few teachers, who all thought he was going to attack them – he was continuing to learn about other materials as well, studying their composition and internalizing even the smallest of differences between them. Maybe he didn't have quite the intimate knowledge of the science his great-grandfather's brother had, but he was doing his damnedest to make up for it.

So it came that one day they found themselves lying on their respective beds, reading their way through yet another alchemy book. Apparently, as long as Ed asked for books on alchemy, his brother Max was more than happy to comply and sent him as many as he could find, in the hope that his little brother would turn out to be the person he wanted him to be. Edward hadn't bothered to explain to him that even though he was getting used to the idea of being the reincarnation of the Fullmetal Alchemist, he probably would never be the person his brother thought their great-grandfather's brother had been.

Groaning, Greed put his book aside and sat up, stretching his neck and popping his back, rubbing one of his hands over the muscles on his shoulders.

"I think I have done enough reading for today. All we have done these last weeks has either been reading or trying to apply our new knowledge in transmutations. I need some action. My body isn't used to me being so inactive," he complained while standing up and doing some more stretches.

Sitting up himself, Ed eyed his roommate critically.

"What you need is to relax. I have noticed that lately you have become as high-strung as a coil spring." Jumping off of his bed he grinned at the taller teen.

"What would you say to a match of one-and one basketball, followed by some sparring and a massage?" he suggested, wriggling his eyebrows. Something that they had found out to their surprise was that the teachers welcomed it when they sparred – as long as they used one of the gyms for it and took the necessary precautions. Their reasoning was that as long as they could fight as a sport activity, then they wouldn't feel the need to do it so often outside of the gym. Ed thought it was total bullshit – he would use his fists whenever he saw fit – but he didn't question it. It gave them the permission to use the gym whenever they wanted, and he wasn't about to throw that privilege away.

Greed groaned again, this time however in anticipation. "I'm in."

~*~*~H~*~*~

Four hours later found them back in their room, both freshly showered and only in their boxers. Ed didn't like to show his automail to others, but he had gotten comfortable with it around the black-haired teen. Rubbing his hair dry he pointed towards Greed's bed.

"Lay down. I'll see if I can find some lotion to use. Otherwise this will hurt more than it will relax you." He told the green-eyed youth before going through some of the bottles in the adjoining bathroom. Finding the hydrating lotion he usually used for his scars surrounding his automail when they started to itch, he decided that had to be good enough and went back to their bedroom, finding his roommate already lying on his bed on his stomach with his head pillowed on his arms.

Not being able to help himself, Ed let an appreciative gaze sweep over the other's body. He had found that lately that wasn't an uncommon occurrence. Up to now he had never really thought about it, but he was starting to realize that if it continued he would have no other _choice_ but to think about it.

Straddling Greed's thighs he applied some lotion and started to slowly spread it out over the teen's back and shoulders. The taller youth hissed as the cool lotion dropped onto his still slightly heated skin, but soon the noises he made turned into groans and moans of pleasure as Ed's hands continued to kneed and work his muscles.

Edward, however, noticed something else while massaging his roommate. Namely that he was going to have a problem – and soon – if he were to stay in his current position. He hadn't thought that the sounds Greed would make combined with the feel of his skin under his hands would turn him on like this. And there was no way he could hide an erection in the position he was in. Thinking fast he was forcing his mind to concentrate on the alchemic theory that he had read about before they had gone down to the gym. That actually worked – for a while. Until the groans turned mostly to moans and purrs and the black-haired youth began to writhe somewhat under him.

His face feeling as if it was on fire, Ed sat back and climbed to sit beside his friend with his legs crossed, before resuming his massage. In the position he was now in it was somewhat awkward to reach certain parts of the other's back, but at least George wouldn't feel his very obvious erection pressed against his ass.

"Ed? Is something the matter?" Greed asked, turning his head somewhat and puzzling over the deep blush that seemed to cover the blonde's face. Puzzling over it until it clicked and then he had to repress a chuckle.

"Everything is fine. I just can reach the lower part of your back better like this." The golden-eyed teen replied hastily. It was a blatant lie, but he sure as hell wasn't about to tell his friend the real reason as for why he had needed to get down. Feeling that firm ass right in front of him, wriggling around and in his mind at least virtually _begging_ him to get fucked… well, that really wouldn't go over all too well he could imagine. No, it was safer to stick with that lie.

"If you say so…" Greed replied, the smirk on his face safely hidden within his arms. He would let Ed get away with it. For now.

~*~*~H~*~*~

The days following the massage were viewed very differently from both parties. Greed was amused to no end that Ed seemed to have problems deciding what he should do next. But then again, he had known that he wanted the blond since the very day he had met him. It was only the fact that he had realized pretty fast that contrary to his conquests before, he wanted this to be something that would last, that had held him back. So he had decided to let everything run its course.

Edward, however, didn't know about that. He had known for years now where his preferences laid, but that didn't mean that he had any past experience to go with it. Experience that, as far as he had heard, Greed had plenty of. It wasn't even the fact that he thought the taller teen would be adverse to the idea of them becoming an item. No, it was the fact that he was positive that his friend would assume he could take the more dominant position in a relationship between them. Something Ed was pretty sure wouldn't work out. He didn't have a problem of submitting his control from time to time, but overall he preferred to be the one in charge. There was no previous experience needed for him to know that.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Greed asked, watching him from over the edge of his book. The blond blinked at him in confusion, still somewhat thrown off by the sudden change of subject.

"Well, you have been spacing out on me for at least ten minutes now. Did you have one of your 'flashes of genius'?"

The last was said with a slightly teasing tone. Ever since they had gotten used to the idea of Ed being the reincarnation of his great-grandfathers brother, he had taken to rubbing in certain facts. Like how Edward was supposed to be a genius. Something that Edward, the current one, definitely was too, but at times it seemed only to come in flashes. The other teen only gave him a withering glare for that, something the taller of the two of them had learned to ignore.

However, seeing that the golden-eyed youth didn't feel like elaborating his thoughts, Greed found it was the perfect opportunity to get some more teasing in. And after hours of reading without end he really needed the break.

"Don't tell me you have lost the ability to speak now?" He inserted a mock-gasp at this point. "The teachers will be _shocked_! Do you think old Mrs. Tinkler will have a heart attack? Though I guess she would probably fall to her knees and thank her God. After all, she has tried to get you to shut up in her class ever since the very first day. And Mr. Kl-"

At this point a very well placed pillow had hit his face, made into a dangerous projectile by the volatile-if-he-wanted-to-be blond on the other side of the room. However, the black-haired teen wasn't to be deterred from his current trail of teasing.

"What, do you need to let the pillows speak for you now? You know, if you had only wanted to get me into your bed, all you ever had to do was ask." He told him with a devilish grin on his face.

What he wasn't prepared for however, was the violent blush that hit Ed's face, making him look like he was about to explode. Before he could question it however, the shorter youth's eyes narrowed in an even deadlier glare and he sat up, taking his other pillow with him.

"Eat. Feathers. _George_." he somehow managed to press out between his lips before throwing the pillow, hitting the taller teen dead-on. Greed only had the fraction of a second to realize that he must have hit closer to home than he had thought and that he was in trouble now – Ed _never_ used his given name if he wasn't angry or wanted to get an important point across. Then he got hit by the pillow, throwing him enough off-balance that by the time the blond pounced on him, it didn't take him much to throw the taller youth back on his bed, tickling him mercilessly.

~*~*~H~*~*~

Half an hour later, they were both still lying on Greed's bed, both panting from their pillow-fight-turned-torture-session. One of the pillows had torn sometime during their fight and the whole room was covered in feathers now, something that had made them laugh madly.

Ed was the first to get his breathing back under his control, turning to watch his friend's face intensely. It only took Greed a few seconds to realize Edward's gaze and stare back, a question forming in his eyes. The blond, however, had made his decision. And he was surprising himself with how calm he was about it.

"You're right, you know." He told the taller teen, looking at him coolly, confusing the black-haired one even more.

"What- ?"

"Consider yourself asked." Edward interrupted him before he could even finish formulating his question. He grabbed the front of the green-eyed youth's shirt and pulled him close, pressing his lips to the one's of his roommate.

* * *

_**Additional Author's Note:**_  
For anyone thinking that I'm going pretty fast with the two of them... yes I do. It is needed however. I could have made them slowly fall in love and all that jazz, but that's not what this story is about. You'll see what it _really_ is about in a while ~.^


	3. Chapter 3

_**Lovely rebel**_  
_**Rating:**_ M  
_**Pairing(s)/Threesome:**_ Ed/Greed, later there will be Ed/Roy which will finally lead up to Ed/Greed/Roy. Oh, and I even managed to squeeze in past Roy/Ed XD There are also hints at past Al/Winry  
_**Warnings:**_ angst, sap, AT, lemons, Ed's mouth, humor, trying to sound as if I understand alchemy XD  
_**Word Count Chapter:**_ 2.839  
_**Word Count FF posted to date:**_ 9.877  
_**Summary:**_ Ed's brother puts him on a boarding school after having had to deal with him one time too often.  
_**Thanks:**_ To anime_gal22 and lectawindwalker for the amazing Beta jobs they did on this! *hugs them both*  
_**Author's Note:**_ Chapter three of my crazy AT monster XD This is still for greedy_lover, though I hope everyone else reading it is enjoying it as well ^_^  
Also, I wrote this chapter while listening non-stop to 'Memories' by Within Temptation. If you want the full effect, I advice listening to it while you're reading ^_^

* * *

_**Lovely rebel - Chapter 3**_

It wasn't what either of them had expected their first kiss to be. There had been quite a few thoughts on this, and while neither knew the other's thoughts, there was one thing they had agreed on – even if only in their heads. Whenever their first kiss would come – and it was always a question of 'when', never 'if' – it would be heated, hungry, _passionate_. Neither of them would have thought to imagine it would be like this. Sure, as Ed had pressed his lips to Greed's, the kiss had started out quite fiery. He had wanted to make sure from the very start that he wasn't going to be submissive, had wanted to show that just because he was the shorter and less experienced of the two of them, he could be just as dominant, if not more so, than his taller friend.

However, it didn't take long for the kiss to take on a softer note. There were some feelings that weren't to be denied. Maybe they had only known each other for a few short months, but during these last few weeks they had formed a bond, a _connection_ that ran deeper than mere lust.

Before Ed, George never had had the urge to get to know someone. All his conquests had been just that – conquests. He had gotten his nickname because he used to go through two or three partners during one night if he wanted – sometimes even at the same time. They were never enough to satisfy him, never enough to satisfy his _needs_. Edward was the first one who had woken up an interest within him that ran deeper than the wish to conquer. He had woken up the wish to _possess_. From the first day, he had been neither impressed by his appearance, nor had he cowered before him. Quite the contrary. He had made sure that Greed realized he wasn't someone to be pushed around right from their first handshake, and had made sure that he was an equal at the very least, and superior if he wanted to be.

As for the blond, before he had come to this school, no-one had ever taken any interest in him beyond the fact that he was a descendent of the famous Elric-brothers. The comparisons between him and his great-grandfather's brother that he had hated so much were usually the first thing that passed between him and anyone he met – like with the headmaster. In each of the high-profile schools that his brother had sent him to, people had fawned over him left and right. In his opinion it was no surprise that he had lashed out as often as he had. Greed had been different. From the very moment he had stepped into his new class the teen had sized him up, making no secret out of his intentions – though Ed had to admit that he had suppressed the memory of that for quite some time, until he had finally admitted to himself that it was of no use to ignore the attraction he felt towards his taller friend. Only then did he realize that there had been something between them from the very start – and not seeming to know who the mysterious teen was at all, Ed had taken a liking to him immediately. As time progressed he realized he had found his first friend in the flippant youth who seemed to take pleasure in every opportunity he got to push his teachers closer to insanity.

All in all, it shouldn't have come as a surprise to either of them that they seemed to have added something to their friendship that ran far deeper. But it did. This kiss had gentled to something of a caress, telling each other more about their feelings than either was prepared to speak of. And while Ed was still definitely the one dominating the kiss, it wasn't by force. It was rather because Greed had completely surrendered to him, opening up to him as if it had never been in question. The blond's left hand had found its way to the taller teen's cheek, cupping it while the automail one was still fisted in his shirt, holding him firmly in place. George had turned his whole body slightly so that he was nearly lying on his side now, having wrapped one arm around his roommate's waist, pulling him closer.

They kissed for a long couple of minutes, neither of them wanting to break the moment. Their eyes had fluttered closed and their lips seemed to move as one. There wasn't even all that much tongue involved – only the barest of touches when they got bolder. It was as if they seemed to realize that this wasn't the time for that and they returned to only using their lips in a silent understanding.

At last they needed to pull apart – breathing was still something of a necessity after all – but whatever special mood had befallen them didn't leave them yet. Panting slightly, they looked into each other's eyes, reading more about their inner confusion and feelings than ever before.

"That was-" Greed started, his voice barely more than a whisper, as if he still wasn't prepared to destroy what had built between them.

"Yeah." Ed answered to his unspoken statement, his voice having taking on the same pitch, with an understanding that ran deeper than mere words. "It was."

He leaned his forehead against the taller teens, closing his eyes once more. "It was."

The other youth's only answer was to tighten the hold that he had on his waist in a gentle squeeze.

~*~*~H~*~*~

Following up that first kiss, everything seemed to change – but at the same time nothing changed at all. They still debated, argued, mocked and teased each other. Yet they looked at each other in a way sometimes that hadn't been there before, with a gentleness that ran so deep it seemed to want to embrace their very soul. A simple brush of hands suddenly seemed to speak volumes. It was as if a floodgate had opened between them with a quantity of meanings and feelings that needed and wanted to be understood.

They didn't talk about their change in relationship. For them it felt as if only this silent understanding could justify the magnitude of emotions that they found swirling around them. It was as if speaking of it would make it less… pure, less _special_. And so, while they both acknowledged its presence and solidness, they never voiced it in more than a gaze. They kissed, they touched, they looked – but it was as if there was an unspoken agreement between them that the time wasn't there for more. Not yet.

~*~*~H~*~*~

A few weeks later found Ed outside, in the park that was laid out behind the school. It provided the students with a lot of space for interaction with one another and for relaxation, especially since it was strictly forbidden to leave the school grounds. However, there were hardly any students so far out near the border lying behind the small lake this late in the season. With the sun already touching the horizon it was only a matter of time before the temperature would drop significantly. It had taken Greed nearly an hour to find his roommate(? friend? boyfriend?) out here. It wasn't the first time Edward had come out here to watch the sunset over the lake while sitting under the magnificent willow tree that graced the small hill just beside the body of water.

Pushing some of the hanging twigs to the side, the black-haired teen looked down on the blond worriedly.

"Ed? Is everything ok? It's going to rain soon." He asked, receiving only an absentminded nod as answer.

Seeing that the other youth was apparently in a somber mood he sat down beside him, bracing himself on an arm that was placed directly behind his friend – offering comfort, but not forcing him to take it. He had learned pretty fast that Ed, while having a definite tendency to cuddle when he felt like it, could get very annoyed when it seemed like he was coddling him.

This time however, Edward seemed to feel no need to hold him at arm's length, because he hadn't even really settled himself before the shorter teen had already leaned against his shoulder, his gaze still far away, directed at some point only known to him on the horizon.

With the blond taking what comfort he could offer, Greed curled his arm so that it rested on the shorter teen's waist, pulling him closer against his body and sharing his heat. Ed felt chilled beneath his clothes, but he didn't even seem to notice. George didn't press what was bothering his friend, knowing that if he felt like sharing it, he would. So they just sat for long minutes, watching the sunset together while there were more and more of the dark clouds that signaled the incoming storm.

"It was today." Ed offered at last, still not looking at the taller teen and letting out a shuddering breath. The sun had vanished completely by now, leaving them in the faint light of dusk. Before Greed could ask what he meant, however, he already continued on.

"It was exact six years ago today that our plane crashed. We had gotten on a later one because we wanted to make use of the sun that the first days of October had to offer. Dad had said it wouldn't hurt us to come home a few hours later than planned." His voice obviously hitched there, its tone sounding bitter. Realizing what his roommate was talking about, George tightened his hold around Ed's waist, showing his silent support, but not interrupting.

"It was even the same company. They told us it wouldn't be any trouble at all to switch our tickets." Edward continued, seemingly oblivious to Greed's presence, even though the green-eyed teen knew better.

"It was like any normal flight. The stewardesses were nice and went through the typical routine. The start went as smoothly as any I had ever experienced. It wasn't before we were already two hours in the air before there suddenly was a… _noise_." His voice seemed to break slightly and a tear escaped from his eyes, only to be wiped away in an angry gesture.

"The pilot told us to stay calm, but we all could hear that there was a faint hint of panic in his voice. A few seats behind us a woman started to scream. To my right there was another woman who was holding her baby in her arms, begging and pleading for everything to be alright." A bitter laugh and another tear, this time, however, it fell down uninterrupted.

"Then the stewardesses were suddenly running around, telling us to put our straps on and to prepare for an emergency landing. They couldn't even finish with their instructions before we could hear an explosion coming from the engine, followed by the screeching of hundreds of passengers. Mom had wrapped her arms around me, holding me and crying silently while Dad was telling me that it was going to be alright, even though his voice shook nearly as badly as the arm that he had laid around us both." The tears were flowing freely now, but Ed seemed too far gone to even care anymore.

"The plane started to shake then. Usually when there is a landing, you slowly sink down to the earth, it's barely noticeable. That time though the plane had no stability. It shook and spiraled and it was all the pilots could do to keep it at least somewhat horizontal – for all the good it did them." The blond now turned away from whatever he had stared at on the horizon, burying his face in the strong shoulder of his friend.

"They told me later that I survived because my parents had refused to let go of me. They had wrapped me into their arms so tightly that they formed a human safety pillow. Apparently they had – they had to cut their arms off, because they couldn't get to me. They also told me that I was screaming for them to wake up and that I wanted to stop my rescuers from freeing me because I thought they wanted to kill them. I cannot even remember that anymore." By then, Greed had wrapped his other arm around the shorter teen as well, holding him tightly and rocking slightly to and fro in a soothing motion, pressing Ed's face even closer into his shoulder. He felt the cloth of his shirt getting wet, but he didn't care. All that was important was the blond in his arms, crying silently for the loss of his parents and something that had to have been a traumatizing shock for him.

They sat like this for a long while, the only sounds coming from George as he was trying to soothe his friend and the soft noise that the rain made as it hit the leaves of the trees around them.

At long last, Ed seemed to calm down, still sitting with his face buried against the taller teen's shoulder.

"I never told anyone about this before. Max never asked for what happened – I guess he got the official statement and never wanted to know more. And Aunt Sarah always seemed to know that I didn't want to talk about it," he said softly, his own arms, which had found their way around the green-eyed teen's torso at some point, tightening slightly.

"Max called today and asked me if I remembered which day it was. For the last few years we always have gone to their graves together – this year was the first time I forgot."

He was looking up now, his eyes finding Greed's and nearly _begging_ him to… what? The black-haired teen couldn't figure out what his friend wanted from him, but wanted to reassure him as best he could anyway.

"How could I forget? How could I be so horrible and forget about the day my parents died while protecting me?" he asked him, desperation and self-loathing clear in his voice. And suddenly Greed understood. Understood the need.

Pulling away slightly from the body pressed against his own, he lifted his hands and laid them on the blond's cheek, making him look at him with no leeway to get away.

"Don't do this to yourself Ed. You're not horrible – I don't know what Max said to you this time, but you are certainly not a bad person! You have had quite a few discoveries about yourself these past couple of weeks and yes, the fact that we have started a relationship in the midst of it all might have played a part in it too. But don't think that just because you forgot a date that it means you forgot about what your parents did for you!" he told him, his voice intense. "You just proved by re-telling what happened on that day that you haven't – and if the emotions that have been rolling off of you since I found you sitting here are indicators that you aren't indifferent about it at all. The only _'blame'_ that could be placed on you is that you're moving on with your life – something I'm sure your parents would have wanted for you. It's true that I didn't know them, but I can't imagine that they would want for you to always feel guilt over their deaths. They protected you with their bodies because they loved you, because they wanted you to _live_! Don't you think it would be rather disrespectful of you if you spent the rest of your life moping around and blaming yourself for their deaths? Do you really think they would have wanted that?" he asked him.

Ed slowly shook his head, casting his eyes towards the ground and biting his lower lip. "No…" he whispered after a while, his voice rough from all the crying he had done. Caressing the still-wet cheeks below his hands with his thumbs, Greed gave him a soft smile.

"Then stop feeling guilty for something you aren't responsible for. You are still alive, and you should be thankful for that fact. I know that I, for my part, am."

He then leaned in to kiss some of the lingering salty wetness away, even though the rain had started to penetrate the roof of leaves above their heads and was beginning to get them wet. Ed's answering smile was shaky at best and his nod wasn't all that sure either, but it was a start. Stealing one last kiss, this time placed fully on his lips, the taller of the both of them started to stand up, pulling the blond with him.

"Let's go back then. I think what you could use right now is a nice, hot, shower and a warm bed." He coaxed, receiving another nod – steadier this time – as his answer. "Ok."

* * *

I know, this chapter was kinda short-ish. However, I needed to cut it here… BUT I can already promise the next one will be longer ~.^

**Additional Note:**

**The next chapter will be a lemon! As I already said at the beginning of the ff, I won't post these here. Therefore, next week I won't post a new chapter here. If you want to read it(and I advice it, since there are some tiny plot-relevant things happening there. Nothing major, but some), go to my Master Fic List on LJ over the link that I have posted in my profile and scroll to the bottom of the page. You'll find it there^^ **


	4. Chapter 5

_**Lovely Rebel**_  
_**Rating: **_M  
_**Pairing(s)/Threesome: **_Ed/Greed, later there will be Ed/Roy which will finally lead up to Ed/Greed/Roy. Oh, and I even managed to squeeze in past Roy/Ed XD There are also hints at past Al/Winry  
_**Warnings:**_ angst, sap, AT, lemons, Ed's mouth, humor, trying to sound as if I understand alchemy XD  
_**Word Count Chapter:**_ 3.773  
_**Word Count FF posted to date:**_ 19.084  
_**Summary: **_Ed's brother puts him on a boarding school after having had to deal with him one time too often.  
_**Thanks: **_To anime_gal22 and lectawindwalker for the amazing Beta jobs they did on this! *hugs them both*  
_**Author's Note: **_I just want to remind you here that this is chapter ***5***, not ***4***. For everyone who has missed the last chapter – since it's a lemon, I didn't post it here on , just as I won't post any future lemons here. If you want to read it (which I would recommend), please go to my profile and from there follow the link to my Master Fic list on lj. You'll find this ff on the bottom of the page.

As for anything else… Time is speeding up in here. In a few chapters we'll finally be where – in my opinion – the fun starts XD

Enjoy! :D

* * *

Lovely Rebel – Chapter 5

Later that day found the two of them back to their studies, once more going over everything they knew about carbon transmutations. While they went through their notes, Greed was playing around with a stick of coal that he had acquired for his training, making it transform into various different forms, using a small array they had made for his training. Enlarging it when loosening the atoms and shrinking it when hardening their connection, until the hand-sized stick wasn't bigger than the tip of his pinky finger. Watching him while he was thinking, Ed suddenly looked up with wide eyes.

"Do that again." He commanded, his eyes taking on a calculating gleam. Blinking at him at first, the green-eyed teen repeated the last few transmutations that he had done.

"Stop, exactly that," the blond commented, taking the flat piece that his lover had created into his hands, bending it slightly before nodding to himself. Still confused, George lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Care to share your thoughts?" he asked, trying to follow what the shorter teen meant. Grinning at him, the long-haired teen held the plate towards him.

"This is the answer to our riddle!" he told him. "All this time we have tried to find a way to get your body to absorb the carbon, but we never even considered that you don't have to! We forgot that a shield is something that protects someone or something that lies behind it. So while as a homunculus you had the ability to transform your skin to the consistency of black diamond, it's really not what a shield really describes."

Slowly getting where the golden-eyed youth was going with his thoughts, Greed returned the grin.

"You mean that essentially we only need to find a way for me to cover my skin with it and not to merge it to myself?" he asked for clarification, receiving a nod in answer.

"Exactly! And then we can just forget about the whole problem of you having to absorb it. You simply need to have enough of it with you at all times – which shouldn't be a problem to figure out. I already have an idea for that – and cover your body with it whenever you'll need it. Granted, we both know the chances of you actually ineeding/i it are pretty slim, but you would have it."

The short-haired teen knew what Ed meant. While as a homunculus this had been a pretty nifty skill, his life now was pretty normal – well, as normal as it could get when you were in a school for problematic teens with no legal guardians to speak of, a reputations of bedding everything that couldn't get away from you fast enough and a sadistic lover who was the reincarnation of the most famous alchemist of their time. Really, as far as normal lives could get, he was sure he wasn't ranking all that high. Not that he cared about stuff like that.

"What is that idea you had about me carrying it around?" he asked, warming to the idea already. While it would take him a while to make the carbon bend to him just like that, now that he actually iknew/i what he needed to train for, it shouldn't take him too long. It was one thing to make the carbon particles durable. It was another to make them bend – or even harder, moving with his body – and it was another still to combine them both. That would need some thought.

"Piercings. You have told me before that you thought about getting some, now that you are eighteen. If you get some that are hollow, you can transmute diamonds into them. You don't need to have the money to buy them after all – you can just transmute the consistency of them. And coal isn't hard to get, though you might need quite a lot of it." Ed explained, becoming more and more excited as he got into the idea. His lover just cocked an eyebrow at him.

"You mean you approve of me getting these piercings now?" he asked, teasing the blond.

It wasn't really that Ed had said he didn't like the thought of Greed getting pierced. He just hadn't been all that sure about it. As someone who'd had to replace two of his limbs with automail, it was hard to imagine for him how one could wish for metal to be added to their bodies.

The shorter youth just shrugged, though the one side of his mouth had drawn down somewhat.

"I never said I was against it. I always said it's your decision. And in this case it even would be practical. So I guess it might not be so bad," he relented. Then his smirk shone through again, and he took on a superior air.

"As long as you remember that I don't like others messing with my toys," he reminded the green-eyed teen, making him first blink, then laugh. It had taken him a second to realize that this was Edward's very own unique way of telling him that he was ok with his nipples and eyebrow getting pierced, but should he even iconsider/i getting another part of him pierced, there would be hell to pay.

Not that George had planned on getting a piercing there. Though it might have been… iinteresting/i to see the shorter youth's reaction to it. Even he wasn't as crazy as to deny Ed a direct wish – even though it sounded more like a threat. Lifting the fore- and middle finger of his right hand to his forehead in a mock-salute, he smirked back at him.

"As you wish, Master."

Ed's grin turned feral at that before he pounced him.

Neither of them got anything else done that day. They did, however, make good use of the bed. And floor. And shower. And even the desk.

It might suffice to say that George had quite a bit of fun sitting down the next day. Much to the blond's amusement.

~*~*~H~*~*~

The weeks following their discovery were mostly used for working on making the carbon skin cover. It sounded easier than it actually was. The tricky part was that it still should follow every movement after it hardened. However, once you changed the consistency of it, it was once more unbreakable and therefore wouldn't move even one inch. Something that drove the both of them crazy.

Another thing that annoyed them was that as much as they wished they didn't, they still had to attend classes. Their grades never changed, but for both of them it was a waste of time. The teachers bemoaned more than once that they didn't seem to follow the lessons, choosing to do something else instead. Lucky for them – and bad for the teachers – was that they both were too intelligent for this school really. They both had been put there because of their behavior, not because of their grades. And so, even though they rarely followed the lessons, they were still at the top of their classes.

The whole thing went as far as their alchemy teacher telling Ed once that if he thought he was so much better in the science, he should just take over and teach the class himself. The blond had just shrugged and walked to the front of the classroom, taking over as smoothly as one could imagine. And his explanations were even more detailed than Mr. Hendricks' could ever aim for. At the end of said classthat day Mr. Hendricks had admitted defeat – having actually taken some notes himself – and just given the youth all the freedom that he wanted – as long as he didn't interrupt his lessons. Smirking, Ed just left the classroom with Greed beside him, teasing him about his 'performance' as a teacher.

Fall turned into early winter and while they made considerable progress, they still hadn't managed to perfect the transmutation. Thoughboth could feel that they were close, making them frustrated beyond belief at times.

Contrary to their improvement with alchemy, their relationship seemed to have blossomed following their first time together. For Greed it was kind of a surprise how easily he fell into a relationship, after all he had done previous to it was fooling around and having sex with a wide range of people. But Ed was just… ispecial/i. There was no drive left within him to pursue havingsex with anyone else – the blond more than fulfilled his every need, physically as well as emotionally. Never before had he been able to imagine how good it could feel to just ilook/i at someone and feel warmth spread within him. A smile from the golden-eyed teen and his soul felt as if it had taken shelter within the shorter youth's arms. His embrace let George feel safe and that hebelonged, something he had never felt before.

As an orphan, he had been the ward of the state since a very young age. He had no memory of his parents and over the years he had been taken in by a few different families. However, he never stayed anywhere for long. They would claim he was difficult and devilish, always looking for ways to get into trouble. He wasn't, he just liked to be active and to interact with people. That they seemed to become prone to 'accidents' really wasn't his fault. It really wasn't – much.

So he had always gone back to whichever orphanage he was closest to at the time. It had continued like this until he had become old enough to get sent to boarding schools. There were some schools like this who took kids like him in with a full scholarship, though essentially taking over for the orphanage. He didn't care – for him it was just a roof over his head. Having learned from a very young age on that people would turn their backs on you if you wouldn't do what they wanted; he had decided to stay only true to himself, not prepared to become a mindless marionette. Not getting attached to anyone had been his philosophy until he had met Ed. And then his whole life had changed suddenly.

It had taken him some time to build some kind of reputation around school, making the other teens respect him and keep their distance while still looking up at him. While this school was full of trouble-makers, no-one had as much style as him. While there were often suspicions, he rarely could be held accountable when something happened. One glance at him convinced others to agree with his story, no matter how big a lie it was. Within a year he had the whole student body eating out of his hand, barring a few individuals who thought he was just a big macho. Maybe he was one, but that didn't change the fact that he was at the top of the pecking order. And that made all the difference.

When Ed was first introduced to them, it was only a few days into the new school-year. Greed had been at this school for years and he knew why their teacher sat the blond beside him on his first day –she had hoped to see if Greed could intimidate the new student in such a way that the blond wouldn't rebel in her classroom. Unfortunately for her, the long-haired boy hadn't been impressed with the taller youth's slightly arrogant vibes at all, going as far as actually taking a liking to him. And from that day on they had become nearly inseparable, not minding the horrified looks they got from both students and teachers alike at all.

It didn't take Greed long to realize that just like him, Ed didn't know what real friends were, having always been a loner. So it came as no surprise how well they actually understood each other. They talked, they fought, they teased and they confided in each other. They also got fed up with each other sometimes and needed to get some space, though that became rarer as time progressed and they got used to actually having someone to turn to, got used to having a friend.

After that, the attraction that had been there between them from day one started to bloom. By then they had gotten comfortable with the knowledge that they weren't alone in this world anymore, there was suddenly the thought of what else could there be. How much more these growing feelings between them really had to offer.

He had left acting on these feeling completely up to Ed. While he had them just as strongly, with his past he was unsure about what he should do. When it came to seducing someone, to getting them to do what he wanted – he was good with that. But to start something that was actually worth continuing after a quick roll in the imaginary hay – that was completely out of his sphere of experience. And so, he had rationalized, while the blond didn't have any more of an idea what he should do, with his innocence when it came to relationships he might be the better leader – and he had been right.

There was nothing about their relationship now that he regretted, nothing he would change – at iall/i. Edward Elric was a first class brat, snotty and overly confident in whatever he did. He also was caring, fixated on his partner's feelings and loyal to a fault. Greed knew that even if he would have a break down and fall back into his past behavior, trying to shove the blond away from him emotionally, he wouldn't get away with it. Ed might let him have his fit, give him some space to get over it, but he would be back. Worrying about what had caused it in the first place and trying to make everything alright. There wouldn't be a sudden absence; there wouldn't be the same feeling of being left behind and alone. As long as there was a breathe of life within the golden-eyed teen, George knew he would stand by him, come what may.

Turning so that he laid once more with his face toward the blond beside him, he wrapped his arms back around Ed. He didn't know why he had woken up – it was only the wee hours of the morning – or what had prompted his thoughts, but it only made him realize once more how fortunate he was to have his lover.

"What are you thinking about so hard?" he could hear said lover ask, voice barely more than a whisper and still coarse from sleep. Smiling at him, Greed just shook his head, even though it was dark in their room.

"Nothing special, go back to sleep," he replied, feeling more than seeing how Ed lifted an unbelieving eyebrow at him.

"Are you telling me that you're laying awake, hours before we have to get up, just because the fun of it?" he asked, the disbelief plain for the taller teen to hear. It was understandable, seeing that he usually was quite the groundhog. Whenever he could get sleep, he would take it. Especially when it came to sleeping in.

Giving up trying to distract the blond, he just shrugged.

"I woke up and started to think about these past few months, about us really. I'm not sure what triggered it, but I'm not complaining – I like to think about how my life changed for the positive for once," he told him, squeezing his arms around the shorter teen's waist gently. Once again he felt more than that he saw the warm smile he got for his explanation. Should he be worried that he seemed to know his lover's expressions this well? Probably not, though it was kind of weird to know them so accurately. It was yet another sign of how close they were.

Feeling Ed lean in, he met him halfway to a soft kiss, lifting his free hand to cup Ed's cheek. Maybe it was time to make it official. Maybe it was time to tell him. So, after their kiss broke off, he searched these golden orbs in the dark, iknowing/i once they had locked with his own eyes.

"You know that I love you, don't you?" he asked his lover in a gentle whisper, caressing his thumb over the soft skin of the long-haired teen's cheek.

He couldn't see well in the dark, but at this very moment he had the feeling as if sunlight suddenly brightened the room. He could clearly see the beaming smile Edward gave him, combined with his brilliantly shining eyes as he lifted his own hand to squeeze the one on his cheek, just before leaning in and kissing the taller teen again, this time with more fervor behind it.

Neither of them went back to sleep that night. And while Greed had hoped to maybe hear these words returned to him, he didn't mind too much. He knew that the feelings were there, so he could wait.

There was no doubt in his mind that one day, he would hear them back.

~*~*~H~*~*~

November turned to December and Greed was incredibly aware of the fact that Edward's birthday was coming up. His lover had already warned him that his brother probably wanted him home for it, as it was custom for them, but they still made plans for the day, hoping that it wouldn't come to that.

It wasn't so much the fact that Ed would probably be gone for that day that bothered the green-eyed teen so much – though he would really prefer if it wouldn't happen. It was more the problem of finding a suitable present for him. He knew that if he told the long-haired youth that he was actually getting him something, he would be told to not bother with it. While the blond had gotten him a present for ihis/i birthday, it was one of the many double standards that Ed had regarding himself. He just couldn't believe that he deserved kind gestures.

Anything expensive was out of question – other than the real bare minimum of pocket money that he got from the state he didn't have anything to buy a present with. This left him with the choice of either acquiring a gift without any paying – something he was sure Ed wouldn't approve of – or making it himself.

At the end, he decided to make something using alchemy. He knew Ed would appreciate that more than anything else. Still, the question of what the golden-eyed teen would like remained. The blond wasn't someone who appreciated useless things. Things that just stood around and collected dust were not something he would treasure much. It was different when said things had at least a somewhat sentimental value, but even then he was very picky. And as far as practical things went… Greed wasn't about to get him anything simple that he could just as well buy or make himself.

With only about another week to go until the actual date, he finally had an idea. It would be tricky – especially since the right size would matter greatly – but it was a challenge and the short-haired teen liked challenges. Particularly when they concerned Ed. There was nothing he wouldn't do for the blond. And he was going to show him just that.

~*~*~H~*~*~

Ed wasn't surprised when he was told at the beginning of the week that he had a phone call from his brother. Not surprised, no, but still not really happy about it.

"Are you going to come home this weekend?" Max asked, trying to sound enthusiastic about it, even though they both knew he didn't care either way. However, no matter how much the distance between them had grown, this was Ed's eighteenth birthday. He should spend the day with the last member of his family.

"I will. I'm also going to bring a friend along. Will Sarah be there as well?" he replied, not sounding any more delighted about the fact than his brother.

"You know she will – she has yet to miss one of your birthdays. Not to say that she wants to use this chance to check up on your automail. And what friend do you mean?" The blond could hear the curiosity in the older man's voice, but with a sudden flash of devilish pleasure, he thought to hold back on him until he could introduce them.

"You'll see," he answered casually, as if it wasn't anything unusual at all for him to bring a friend with him.

"Fine then. Just make sure that they behave, whoever they are," Max commented, clearly not happy about the fact of being left in the dark. The golden-eyed teen nearly replied something nasty, such as 'no friend of mine would ever behave worse than you do' or 'he definitely earns himself more respect through his manners than you ever did', but he knew that this would lead no-where. Besides, it wasn't like he ihated/i his brother. They just had never gotten along all that well. With Max being so much older there were bound to be some differences between them. It was distance really. Combined with the fact that his older brother had always felt a certain frustration towards Ed because of the high expectations placed on him – never mind that he made said expectations himself – and that, at least some small part of him thought it was Ed's fault that their parents had to die, their relationship as siblings had never stood a chance. They tried, but it just didn't work out.

"I'll see you on Saturday then," Ed responded instead, ignoring the other part completely. He listened to his brother make his farewell as well before hanging up. Now he only needed to let his lover know about this.

So much for their plans of a quiet day just for themselves. The blond couldn't see into the future, but if he knew one thing it was that his birthday would be ianything/i but quiet.

Especially once Max would find out that Greed wasn't 'just a friend'.

Hm, maybe he should warn his boyfriend. But then again…

A smirk that was just as devilish as his previous thoughts stole its way on his lips.

But then again, maybe it would be even funnier to let him realize himself. It wasn't like he planned to abandon him to his brother's non-existing mercies after all, he would still be there and have his back. But the expression his taller lover would undoubtedly have might just be worth risking his wrath…

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That was it for this time - I hope you enjoyed ^_^


	5. Chapter 6

_**Lovely Rebel**_  
_**Rating:**_ M  
_**Pairing(s)/Threesome:**_ Ed/Greed, later there will be Ed/Roy which will finally lead up to Ed/Greed/Roy. Oh, and I even managed to squeeze in past Roy/Ed XD There are also hints at past Al/Winry  
_**Warnings:**_ angst, sap, AT, lemons, Ed's mouth, humor, trying to sound as if I understand alchemy XD  
_**Word Count Chapter:**_ 5.207  
_**Word Count FF posted to date:**_ 24.291  
_**Summary:**_ Ed's brother puts him on a boarding school after having had to deal with him one time too often.  
_**Thanks:**_ To anime_gal22 and lectawindwalker for the amazing Beta jobs they did on this! *hugs them both*  
_**Author's Note:**_ Ed's birthday is finally there... and Greed gets to meet the family XD

Enjoy! :D

_**Extra Note:**_ Sorry, in case anyone is actually still reading this. I forgot about it yesterday. I still have a few more chapters just to post until I run out on them. But I'll let you know when that will happen^^

* * *

_**Lovely Rebel – Chapter 6**_

On Saturday morning of the eighth, Ed woke up early, as usual. It was rare for him to sleep in. However, to his big surprise his lover was already awake and missing.

Sitting up in their bed and stretching, the blond looked around the room. Nothing. He then listened carefully, to hear if maybe his taller lover was just making use of the bathroom. But there were no sounds coming from the small adjoining room, nor was the door completely closed.

"Strange…" the golden-eyed teen murmured, rubbing his eyes. On the rare occasion that Greed _did_ wake before him he always waited for him to wake up too. Or he woke him in a very pleasurable way, something that he had come to enjoy very much. Waking up without him there… unsettled him. It hadn't happened once ever since they had started to take their relationship to a more physical level over two months ago.

He was just about to get out of the bed and look for his wayward roommate as the door to their room opened and the black-haired youth came in, carrying a tray. As he saw that his younger lover was awake by now, he pouted somewhat.

"Aw, and here I wanted to surprise you," he sulked, though he winked at Ed. The blond could see by now that the tray contained their typical breakfast choices, together with two unlit candles and a few flowers. Seeing the last item he lifted an eyebrow at the green-eyed teen, but only got a shrug in return.

"I was told it's romantic. And while I also heard that guys could consider great sex as romantic, I thought it wouldn't hurt," he explained, getting a laugh and then a gentle smile out of the blond.

"I appreciate it," the golden-eyed teen told him before making room in the bed for him to sit down again. He did just that, moving to sit close to his lover and folding out the small legs that made the tray into a bed table, placing it so that each of their touching legs was trapped beneath it. He then took a lighter and lit the candles before turning back to Edward, taking his hand and smiling gently at him.

"Happy Birthday love," he told him before leaning in to steal a kiss. The blond didn't resist at all, humming happily against him.

"Thanks for doing this for me," the shorter of the two said after they broke apart again, squeezing his hand slightly, but Greed just shook his head. "There is nothing to thank me for. This is a special day for you, so you should get special treatment," he replied. And while Ed looked ready to protest, he closed his mouth again, obviously swallowing whatever he had wanted to say and just resigned himself to it, though the taller teen could also see that it didn't take him too much effort. Deep down within him there was a place in the blond that enjoyed this, he only needed to learn and let it out more often. Seeing that there was no argument forthcoming, the green-eyed teen leaned in and placed another kiss on his lover's cheek, showing his own gratitude that he didn't ruin the moment.

After that they ate mainly in silence, just enjoying each other's company. They knew that later this day things most likely would get less peaceful, so they tried to make up for it in advance. However, after they both had their fill, their eating turned more… teasing. Usually they had to eat in the hall with all the other students – things like this weren't encouraged, though it didn't surprise Ed that Greed had managed to pull it off – and there wasn't anything remotely interesting about eating in the mess hall. So they made good use out of their opportunity and started to feed each other, teasing with licks and kisses, soft bites and wicked winks. Like this, it didn't take them long to find that their hunger for each other had overtaken any appetite for food and they placed the tray beside the bed while starting their day 'properly'.

There wasn't anything frenzied or hurried about their love-making this time. They both took their time exploring each other's body, George even taking extra care in making his lover feel good. While he was still the one who offered himself at the end to the blond, he explored the long-haired youth's body extensively, kissing and worshipping every patch of skin he found, tracing every scar and caressing the metal attached to his beloved's body.

After, as they both laid catching their breaths, he held Ed close while fishing with one hand under the pillows, taking hold of the gift that he had stored their earlier when the blond had still been asleep. Sitting up and taking the golden-eyed teen with him he looked at him, his expression serious. His lover's gaze turned questioning as he saw that instead of relaxed, Greed was quite tense.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself somewhat, the green-eyed teen took Ed's left hand, wrapping it in his own and holding it up between their chests. Now the curiosity was obviously killing the blond.

"Ed, I have told you that I love you, and I mean it. No-one else has ever captured me as completely as you have done. I know that we are young, and I also know that you haven't even told me that you love me back." Seeing the guilty expression that came over his lover, he hastily shook his head, "It doesn't matter, I know that you do. It's not about the words and I don't say this to make you feel bad. I just wanted to tell you this before giving you my present because… well, I guess you could say it's kind of presumptuous. But I wanted to give you something that shows how much you mean to me."

He then lifted his other hand, opening it to show the blond the ring that was laying on it. It was simple really, though for the both of them it held much meaning. Greed had designed it himself, thinking of the two of them together all the time he made it. The band was three-plaited. Two of the bands were made from metal, and one of it was made of two different gemstones that he had used for his training – the Tiger's Eye and the Aventurine. Fused together to swirl within the one band.

Seeing Ed stare at the ring with wide eyes, he went to explain to cover his nervousness.

"I made it myself – obviously. The metal I used was made out of a few of my earrings. The stones I chose were because they reminded me of us. The golden hue of the Tiger's Eye, turned in the light just so, is nearly the same color as your eyes. I especially filtered any other metals out of it that would make it darker. And the green of the Aventurine was in thought of my own eyes."

He had started to play with the ring, trying to settle his nerves again. Squeezing the hand he still held with his other he looked deep into Ed's eyes.

"Will you let me put the ring on your hand?" he asked, his own voice suddenly nothing more than a whisper, afraid of rejection. It didn't matter here if the blond loved him or not, but this was something huge. Something he wasn't sure his lover was prepared to accept just yet.

However, he didn't need to have worried. Blinking a few times to assure himself that this was _really_ happening, the golden-eyed teen threw himself into Greed's arms, nodding against his shoulder as words failed him, overcome by the emotions that flooded him. Love, gratefulness, tenderness, guilt… Especially the guilt. He really didn't know why he still couldn't tell his lover that he loved him, even though he knew it to be true just as much as George knew it. It was like something within him prevented him from doing so. He was just glad that the taller teen could see behind the layers of skin and bone around him and look right into his very soul.

Holding his lover tightly against him, Greed warmly smiled into the hair before him, kissing the top of the blond's head. The relief he felt was freeing. For the last few days he had constantly worried that Ed would refuse his gift, thinking it was too early for them to make a commitment like this.

After a while, he pulled somewhat back from their embrace, lifting Ed's hand once more and looking at him, making sure their eyes locked as he slid the ring on the blond's ring finger. Then he leaned in again, placing another gentle kiss on his lover's lips.

"Happy Birthday Love, happy birthday." He murmured after breaking the kiss again.

Ed just smiled.

~*~*~H~*~*~

When lunchtime came, they both went to the front gates, intending to wait for Max to fetch them. It had taken some persuasiveness on Ed's part to convince the headmaster to allow Greed off school grounds for the day, but he had actually managed to weasel the permission out of him. Though he still thought it was him mentioning the fact that as long as George and he were not there, they couldn't do anything against the rules. And after having the both of them around for months now, the poor headmaster was in dire need of a break. His own permission was given by the fact that his guardian was going to collect him. There were no rules against them going home during the weekend, as long as they were overseen by their respective guardians.

At half past noon, a car pulled up to the front gates with Ed's brother, Max, driving it. They had to wait until he got out of the car and talked with the guards, signing them both out for the day, before they were allowed to open the gates and leave, with a strict warning to be back before midnight. Even though they were both adults now, there were still the rules of the school to abide by. Personally, the blond didn't think they would take even that long to come back, but he promised anyway. After that, he gestured to his brother.

"George, this is my brother Max. Max, this is George, a very good… _friend_ of mine," he introduced them, seeing them both notice his particular accentuation of the word 'friend'. After his talk with Max a few days ago he had decided that he would let him play the guess-game for a while. While he wasn't planning on hiding their relationship – he even planned on telling him if it really came down to it before they left again – he would enjoy the speculating gazes the brown-haired man would give him until then.

Greed had lifted his eyebrow at his lover's introductions, but he didn't say anything. Knowing the blond had probably planned something, he didn't correct him. Also, it wasn't his business if Ed preferred to keep their relationship a secret from his brother.

They all got into the car and both friends chose to sit in the back rather than separating. The golden-eyed teen talked with his brother, answered some questions about school and asked some of his own about Max's work, but even as someone, who had for the first time the opportunity to see them interact, the green-eyed teen could see it was strained.

He himself was pretty quiet during their drive, only speaking up if directly addressed. His eyes however were very active, taking in everything they saw. It wasn't often that he managed to get off of the school grounds, and until a few months ago he always had to return to the orphanage during the long breaks, where he wasn't really allowed outside either. He still wasn't sure what he would do during the winter break this time, but he assumed that he would have to go back once more, even though he was of age now. But with no income what-so-ever and no family to take him in, there really was no other option. The school was closed during the summer months and during winter break, so he couldn't stay there. And while the headmaster had allowed this visit, he was pretty sure that no matter what, he wouldn't be allowed to stay with the Elrics. Especially since it was neither his nor Ed's decision to make.

He also used the time to compare the brothers to each other. The blond always had said they didn't look anything alike, but that wasn't entirely true. While Max had dark brown hair and eyes where Ed's were blond and golden, there were other similarities. The shape of their noses was definitely the same, as was the line of their jaws. Even the way their eyebrows were shaped was nearly identical. Max was maybe one and a half heads taller than his brother and had darker coloring, but otherwise it was pretty obvious that they were related to each other. However, knowing that the relationship between the two of them wasn't the best, Greed decided to keep his observations to himself. Ed wasn't stupid, and if he didn't want to see the similarities for himself then it could be seen as a sign that he didn't _want_ to see them at all.

It took them over an hour before Max finally pulled in the driveway of a nice, big house. It was bigger than the green-eyed teen had been expecting, but then he remembered that while they never talked about it, the Elric name was quite famous, for two reasons really. First of course for the alchemists of that line, and secondly for the automail mechanics. Even though the second part only came because the Rockbells had married into the Elric-line, the fame was there nonetheless.

It made him somewhat uneasy, to be reminded that he, the poor orphan that he was, was together with someone who obviously came from a rich background. He knew that Ed was no elitist, nor did he look down on him or pity him for being born into his current situation, but seeing his family home drove the fact that they were very different in the way they had been brought up brutally home.

"George? Everything ok?" Ed asked him, and for a second he blinked at his lover before remembering that they had agreed that it might be better to not use his nickname around Max. While they both got the joke behind it, the more conservative man probably wouldn't appreciate it.

Nodding, Greed noticed that the car had come to a stop and that he and Ed were the only ones in it anymore. Max had already gotten out and was waiting for them to do the same.

"I'm ok. I was just thinking of something," he reassured the blond, though he could see that the golden-eyed teen caught on to the tension within him. Rather than saying something, however, he just lifted an eyebrow before slowly nodding to himself. A clear sign that Greed would get questioned later, once they were alone.

Getting out of the car as well, they could both feel the intense gaze of Ed's brother on them. Instead of commenting on it though, the blond just winked at him. If the taller teen hadn't known before now that his lover had something planned, he definitely knew now.

They went into the house, and Greed couldn't stop himself from looking around. The furnishings were practical, but tasteful. There were photos as well as paintings on the walls. He had no trouble imagining they were the real thing. After having taken off their shoes and putting on slippers – he had been given some guest-slippers – they walked out of the foyer and he could feel the thick, expensive looking rug below his feet. This wasn't just a carpet, it was a real rug. And not one of those things they had used in the orphanage to cover some of the more ugly floorboards. There was no need to cover anything up here. This rug was laying here because it was part of the décor. Somehow he felt himself getting more insignificant by the second. Seeing all this… it made him feel small and worthless.

Some of it might have shown on his face, because there was suddenly Ed's hand in his, squeezing it softly and showing him that the blond was still near and wouldn't leave him. Taking a deep breath he nodded again, giving his lover a grateful smile. He should have known that the golden-eyed teen would understand him, even if he didn't say anything.

"Edward?" they suddenly hear Max' voice hear coming from behind them. They both turned their heads, their hands still clasped together. "Is there something you aren't telling me?" the brown-haired man asked his younger brother, arms crossed before his chest and obviously somewhat annoyed at being left out of the loop. The blond just gave him a cocky grin and lifted his left hand – the hand with the ring – to scratch his nose, while his right was holding onto Greed's.

"I don't know, should I?" he replied, obviously uncaring of his brother's reaction. By now the green-eyed teen could guess his intentions. It became apparent pretty quick that Ed was very amused by the fact of throwing his older brother off-balance. George grinned inwardly and shook his head. He should have guessed. After having known his friend for the past few months he really should have known it would be something like that.

The older man before them made a grimace, though his eyes were firmly fixed on the ring that adorned the long-haired teen's ring finger, even though the said hand was already dangling once again down his side. It took him a few more moments, but he quickly got over his shock.

Then it became ugly.

"You should have told me that you're bringing your boy-toy with you. Not informing me of things like that is what destroys a family," Max hissed, obviously troubled more by the fact of having been left in the dark about their relationship than having a problem with his brother choosing a male-lover. Though the second he spoke his words, Greed knew he had chosen wrong. While he himself could see that the brown-haired man didn't have a problem with him directly, he had attacked him. Something one should _never_ do in Edward's presence. The taller teen had no illusions that Ed wouldn't care whether or not the attacker was his own flesh and blood or not.

He wasn't disappointed.

Ed's eyes narrowed dangerously and his stance became aggressive in an instant. His teeth were obviously pressed together, holding back whatever had wanted to come out of his mouth first. George was actually impressed – that was better than he had expected of his sometimes volatile partner.

"How _DARE_ you!" the blond hissed, his voice having taken on a tone that clearly suggested that Max had made a mistake. "How dare you to insult someone you know _nothing_ about! I ignored your first jab on the phone as you still thought George was my friend, but I will NOT stand for you insulting the guy I love right in front of me, just because you can't get over the fact that I'm living my own life!"

There was more, but Greed pretty much had stopped listening after Ed had said he loved him. This wasn't a perfect declaration of love, but the green-eyed teen was thankful for it nonetheless. After this morning he really hadn't thought he would get to hear the words anytime soon. He knew it had to do with the fact that his lover was still feeling unsure about himself in regard to other people and was holding back with saying the words because of not wanting to promise something he couldn't stick to. There was never a doubt within him that the shorter teen returned his love just as passionately, he just had a problem with expressing his feelings.

Hearing him shout the words at his brother like this though… Greed had to admit that he was slightly turned on by it. It wasn't that he liked the brothers fighting – though as much as he had gathered, that was a more normal occurrence than not – but whenever Ed got protective on his behalf he couldn't help feeling warmed.

He was still thinking of whether he should try and calm his lover down when there was suddenly a new voice – a female one.

"For God's sake, can't you two ever shut the hell up?" it exclaimed, silencing the two fighting young men effectively. Turning around slightly and looking back to the door, George could see a woman in her early fifties, though her looks indicated she was younger. He knew it had to be Sarah and therefore knew her age.

Not bothering with the sudden, somewhat awkward silence, he took the time to study her. Wavy, dark blond locks were hanging free of any boundaries down her back, her pale, blue-grey eyes spit fire at the two brothers and her hands were fisted and firmly placed on her hip, making her stance look even more aggressive. She might have a few pounds too many, but overall the green-eyed teen would say she was a beautiful woman for her age.

Now that she had the whole attention of everyone in the room, she directed her glare towards the older brother.

"Max! What were you thinking? This is Edwards's birthday! How could you start a fight with him before they even get to sit down?"

Greed decided then and there that he liked her. He could see that obviously, this infamous temper lay within the family. But contrary to Max's slightly arrogant manner, hers was more like Ed's, something that made her even more likeable.

However, she didn't seem to have finished yet with her tirade.

"And I really don't know why you're surprised that he actually has a boyfriend now. Only because you chose to not get in a relationship until you were twenty-two doesn't mean that other people don't get into them earlier! Hell, Grandfather Edward got together with Roy before it was even legal for them to be together!"

That was an interesting piece of news. Not that it would help him with anything, but everything he could learn about his lover's past life was considered treasured information.

Sarah seemed to cool down then, sending one last, warning glare at the oldest man in the room before turning to her other nephew and him, smiling brightly. If the taller teen hadn't seen her scream only a second before he wouldn't have believed it.

"Edward, happy birthday! I hope your day hasn't gotten completely ruined yet. So tell me, who is your handsome boyfriend?" she asked, giving the both of them a warm look. It really was kind of scary how fast the mood-change had come.

The blond, obviously in a better mood now that his aunt was there, smiled back.

"Aunt Sarah, this is George. My roommate and – as you have already guessed correctly– my boyfriend. George, this is my aunt Sarah," he introduced them and Greed held out his hand to shake hers, giving her a smile as she took it. With Max he hadn't dared to actually offer, sensing that the man wasn't happy about his presence. With her it was obviously a welcomed gesture.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sarah. Ed has told me about you quite a lot," he greeted her, feeling his lover relax beside him. She grinned at him before throwing a sly gaze at her nephew. "I wish I could say the same, George. While the pleasure is mine as well, to get something out of Ed about his life at school is like getting confidential information out of a priest. I haven't heard one word about you yet," she said apologetically, making him laugh.

"Don't worry, I'm not surprised," he reassured her before turning his head so that he could grin at the shorter teen, seeing his innocent expression that seemed to scream that he wasn't at fault here.

After that, they actually managed to get around to eating some lunch together that Sarah had prepared before they came back – she had just been outside to get something from her car when they had arrived, which was parked on the opposite side of the house – followed by a wonderful dessert. They talked somewhat, but Greed could feel that it wasn't much better than the conversation that Max and Ed had held in the car. There were gaping holes here, showing that all of them had their own lives. And while they were still bound together by blood that was pretty much all it was. Sarah tried to not lose contact with either of the brothers, that much was obvious, but the definite age difference didn't make that easy.

After they ate, Sarah insisted that she have a look at Ed's automail, making the blond only roll his eyes and nod his consent. However, he insisted that they went to the back room for the check-up, which was apparently equipped for any kinds of repairs, even though he invited Greed to come along. The taller teen guessed that he just didn't want his brother to be around for this.

Once there, the golden-eyed teen seemed to become more open, less tense. While he had told the green-eyed teen that he was never looking forward to anything that had to do with his automail – even if it was only a check-up – it didn't take any effort to see that it was easier for him to talk with his aunt now that his brother wasn't around.

The tall woman was obviously very good at her job, the taller teen gathered, because while she never stopped listening and talking to Edward, her concentration was mainly on the metal-limbs she was looking over. She tested wires, joints and screws, made small adjustments as she went along, but never having to pause in what she was doing.

Greed watched what she was doing with interest. His lover's limbs had always gotten some special treatment from him. He didn't think the automail ugly, even though he would wish that his boyfriend could still have his original arm and leg. He was fascinated by the technology behind it, even more refined now than nearly a century ago. It was machinery at its finest, working so in tune with the body that it complimented it. It wasn't as good as the original, but it was pretty damn close.

While it was Edward who had an affinity for metals, he loved everything that had to do with machinery. It wasn't like he wanted to become an automail mechanic, but he was interested in how it worked, right down to the finer details. And so, acting on the impulse of wanting to know, he asked Sarah if she could explain it to him.

The blonde woman was delighted to actually share the information with him, he could tell. As she explained she told him that neither of the brothers had ever shown any interest of getting into the business themselves, and since she didn't have any children of her own, she feared the family business might come to an end. Which was why she had such high hopes in the child Max's girlfriend expected, much to Greed's – and even Ed's – surprise. They both hadn't known yet that the blond was going to become an uncle.

Snorting the short teen rolled his eyes.

"That's so typical of him. Accusing me of not telling him about my private life, but not telling me that I'm going to become an uncle himself. That's hypocrisy at its finest in my opinion," he said sarcastically. Neither of the other two could say anything to refute that, so they just went back to Sarah showing the green-eyed teen how the general set-up of automail worked.

After they came back to the living room, the general conversation level went down again. They ate cake sometime during the afternoon and later they cooked a nice dinner together – even though Sarah insisted that neither Greed nor Ed should help her, one being a guest and the other the person of honor – but there just wasn't anything that could be described as a comfortable atmosphere to be had.

After dinner, Ed and Greed decided to get back to school. And while it was still early, neither of the two adults had any objection to it. They said goodbye to Sarah and Max drove them back just as stiffly as he had earlier that day, glaring at the two of them occasionally through the back-rear view mirror. It was obvious to the black-haired youth that the older man had taken a dislike to him, for whatever reasons. He tried to not let it bother him, but it stung. He had been at his best behavior during the stay – something that didn't come naturally to him after all – but no matter what he did, the brown-haired man would always find a reason to ignore him or lift an arrogant eyebrow at him. Ed had also seen his brother's treatment towards him, but after Sarah had to raise her voice another time, the blond promised to behave – just for today at least. Now, with her out of ear-shot, all bets were off though. Not that the golden-eyed teen was seeking obvious revenge. He had simply cuddled up against Greed in the backseat in a blatant show that he would do whatever he wanted, daring his brother to say anything against it.

Somehow, even Max seemed to possess enough sense to not bring the topic up again. At least not while he was still driving.

The older man brought them safely back to the school and got them signed in again, waiting while both teens got checked over by the guards. Afterwards the both of them just went through the gate, Ed giving his brother the same wave he had given the teacher on his first day at school – an obvious dismissal – without any words of farewell.

It was then that Greed noticed that during all the time after the automail check-up, the topic of his lover becoming an uncle had not come up even once. If it weren't for Sarah, they still wouldn't know about it.

Feeling sad for the blond he took his hand back in his, squeezing it in a silent show of understanding. Ed might still have a family, but it had become pretty obvious today that this wasn't all that counted. When he looked back at how awed he had been by the riches that were so openly shown in the house, it was all cold. Cold rooms without emotion.

Ed might still have a house to come back to, but he didn't have a home.

Somehow this made George feel as if not having one at all was still the better solution.


	6. Chapter 7

_**Lovely Rebel**_  
_**Rating:**_ M  
_**Pairing(s)/Threesome:**_ Ed/Greed, later there will be Ed/Roy which will finally lead up to Ed/Greed/Roy. Oh, and I even managed to squeeze in past Roy/Ed XD There are also hints at past Al/Winry  
_**Warnings:**_ angst, sap, AT, lemons, Ed's mouth, humor, trying to sound as if I understand alchemy XD  
_**Word Count Chapter:**_ 3.002  
_**Word Count FF posted to date:**_ 27.293  
_**Summary:**_ Ed's brother puts him on a boarding school after having had to deal with him one time too often.  
_**Thanks:**_ To anime_gal22 and lectawindwalker for the amazing Beta jobs they did on this! *hugs them both*  
_**Author's Note:**_ We're actually already at chapter seven XD They grow up so fast... XDDD And now... the introduction of someone you've been waiting for ~.^

* * *

_**Lovely Rebel – Chapter 7**_

After their visit on Ed's birthday, things had gone back to normal. There would only be two more weeks of school until the winter break, and most students were already in mood for the holidays, having gotten lazier during classes, something that caused their teachers to grow more frustrated by the day. Greed really didn't know why they got so worked up about it – it was the same thing each year. They should know by now that no matter what they did, their students would still refuse to listen.

For the two teens, it wasn't something they looked forward to. The blond would have to go home during the winter break, and there was no way he could take his lover with him. That would mean one month that they wouldn't see each other. Since Greed didn't have access to the internet in the orphanage, nor did he possess a cell phone, they wouldn't be able to make contact at all. The fact that they lived in opposite directions of the school didn't really help matters. George supposed he probably would be able to leave the orphanage for some time even though it wasn't allowed – he was an adult now after all – but they would still need to find a way to meet up. And while the golden-eyed teen was now old enough to get his driver's license, he didn't have one yet.

Which pretty much only left them with writing letters and while they wouldn't mind the writing, its slowness was aggravating them thinking about it. They divided the time they had left to spend with each other into two main portions: using it for alchemy and otherwise getting some quality time in. That they still had to attend classes didn't bother either of them. They just counted that time as 'alchemy research time'. It wasn't like the teachers weren't used to it from them by now…

Despite their best affords to stretch the time, those two weeks passed much too fast for either of their liking. They hadn't even really gotten used to the idea of having to separate for that long, then it was already time for Ed to pack his things together, growling and snaring all the time.

"I only had to go home two weeks ago! How am I supposed to recover from having had to spend time with my brother if I have to go back now, already?" he complained while throwing yet another shirt in his suitcase. Greed just gave him a wry smile and a shrug, not really knowing what to say to that. They both didn't want to go so long without seeing each other, but they had studied the rules until they could say them in their sleep – there really weren't any loopholes that would allow them to stay together during the holiday.

After thinking things over, they had both decided on packing their things the day before they would have to leave. That left them with at least some time to spend together before Max would arrive to get Ed. Greed didn't even know yet if he was going to get collected or if he needed to find a way on his own to return to the orphanage. He wouldn't be surprised if they didn't even know yet that he was coming. After all, there were bureaucracies that had to be considered. And in all his years that he had been a ward of the state, he had learned that people and official forms did not make a good mix.

Getting up early the next day, the blond had taken his lover outside, bringing him to the small lake back out near the border, the same lake where Greed had found him on the anniversary of his parent's death. It had snowed during the night, and there was a nice, white layer covering everything. The green-eyed teen supposed that Ed had to be freezing, but since he didn't show any signs, nor did the taller youth want to ruin the mood, he didn't say anything.

It had been freezing for over a month by now, and the lake was covered by a solid coat of ice. It was the school's private ice-skating ring, but right now, no-one but them was there, though that was not surprising. The sun had barely risen yet.

Once there, Greed got to see what the shorter teen had been carrying around with him in the backpack he had brought. Without the short-haired youth ever noticing, he had packed their ice-skates, lifting them now in a silent question. All his lover did was grin in answer before leaning in to steal a kiss from those tempting, rose-colored lips. Edward's overall appearance was very tempting right now. While they were both wearing suitable clothes for the weather, the cold had turned their cheeks slightly red, and both their noses and ears had a pink hue to them.

It didn't take them long to put on their skates, and then they were already on the ice, racing each other. Ed hadn't known how to skate when he had come to their school, but Greed had taken him here a few times since the lake had froze and they discovered that they enjoyed chasing each other over the sleek surface. The first few times the taller teen still had the advantage over his lover, considering the blond had to learn how to balance on the skates first before smoothing out his movements, but once he did, he became a worthy opponent. Sometimes they joined some of the other boys when they played a game of hockey, but most of the time they were content to just race over the ice, enjoying how much speed they could get.

Today they were racing for some time, before their movements became… calmer, more sedated. Ed grabbed Greed's hand at one point and then they were suddenly just gliding over the ice, enjoy being here together alone. They could hear the sounds of nature all around them, but as far as they could see there was only the lake, as well as the trees and the park surrounding it, all of it covered in snow and ice. The bare twigs glistened in the morning sun, and the frozen bushes were twinkling. They could see frozen spider webs and flowers. All around them, time seemed to have come to a standstill. The only sign of life was them, moving around at a leisurely pace, only aware of each other and the freedom they had here.

It was… peaceful.

But sadly, even this perfect moment needed to come to an end. As the sun crawled higher in the sky, they knew they had to go back. Either that, or annoy yet another person. And while it wasn't anything new for them to aggravate anyone, neither of them felt like putting on their usual acts.

Coming to a halt near the center of the lake, Ed drew his taller lover close, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him down so that he could kiss him.

"I'm going to miss you," he whispered after he pulled somewhat back again, his lips still caressing the ones before him and his eyes locked to the green ones of the other youth. Greed smiled sadly for him and returned his embrace, pulling him even tighter.

"I'm going to miss you too. I'll just have to repeat to myself over and over again that after we finish this school year, no-one will be able to separate us ever again."

The blond smiled at that while laying his head on the strong chest before him.

"I can't wait for that time to finally come. I'm sick and tired of having to go back to a family-home that doesn't exist anymore. I'm sick and tired of dealing with my brother's resentment. And I'm sick and tired of having to put on an act for everyone around me but you. I just want to finally be myself and I can only be that whenever I'm with you," he told him, his breath making small white clouds in the air before his mouth.

Greed guided his lover to look at him again before kissing him once more, pouring his feeling into the kiss as best as he could, feeling the blond return it with just as much intensity. After they broke apart again, he laid his forehead against the golden-eyed youth's.

"I just want you to remember that I love you while you're away. And that I will be here waiting for you once you get back," he reminded his shorter lover, making him smile gently in return.

"I love you too. And I won't forget that, I promise." Ed's voice was warm despite the cold around them, making them forget about it altogether. They stood for a while longer like this, just leaning against and holding each other, enjoying their last moments together before they finally couldn't postpone going back anymore.

Neither of them spoke a single word during the whole way back, just holding each other's hand and their goodbyes were said through a gaze alone.

~*~*~H~*~*~

Christmas had been a… sad event. Sarah had come over and tried to make it somewhat special, but with both brothers not even looking at each other, it was an effort that was set out to fail. Ed was still grateful to her for trying, but his thoughts were with his lover. How could he enjoy something that was supposed to be a holiday for a god he didn't believe in and his beloved not even somewhat close?

The days after weren't any better. He wrote letters to Greed, but mostly he was holed up in his room, reading books about alchemy and missing his lover.

New Years Eve came and passed; just another day.

It was the first day of January. Max had told him he would be bringing someone home from work for dinner, and that he wished Ed to be there. The blond supposed it wouldn't hurt. While they usually didn't try to see each other over dinner, going downstairs to meet whoever it was would at least be somewhat better than just sitting around in his room.

A decision that he regretted once the front door opened.

At first, he couldn't see much. Max and the other man were both wearing clothes suitable for the weather and therefore were quite efficiently hidden behind them. However, as more layers fell, the dread began to grow within Ed. There was… _something_ about the stranger that felt so… _familiar_, as if his heart would know right then and here that he could trust him. This had never happened to him before. Even with Greed, he had been mistrustful for at least a few days, even though it had lessened after the first one.

Max was looking at him now; the strangest mix of a smirk and a look of 'I know you would react like that' were on his face.

"Edward, this is Roy Mustang. Mr. Mustang is the junior boss of my company. Mr. Mustang, this is Edward, my younger brother that I have told you about." He introduced them, but Ed had stopped listening once he had heard the name.

Roy.

Roy Mustang.

Suddenly the world around him seemed to spin and his sight seemed to fail him. It clouded over until he could only see flashes of something he had never seen before.

_A blue uniform._

_A smirk._

_A handshake._

_A gaze that promised trust._

_An expression that spoke of love._

His hand reached automatically out to steady himself on the nearest wall, while he tried to bring his breathing back under control. Greed and he had both had flashes like that, but never this intense. Most of the time it was only that something felt as if they had seen, felt or heard it before. Never like… _this_.

His thoughts spun. Of course, he knew who Roy was. He also knew that his brother must know too and that he had arranged for the both of them to meet probably solely of the reason to 'make destiny come true'.

He couldn't deal with this. He didn't _want_ to deal with this.

But Roy was in their foyer, looking at him with concern. It would be rude to throw him out again, especially if he was his brother's employer. Just as rude as it would be if he would just run away, back into his room. So he took a few more calming breaths before straightening up again.

"Is everything alright with you, Edward?" Max asked, sounding concerned. Though Ed could see through the mask he had built only too well. Forcing a fake smile on his lips, he nodded.

"I'm ok. I haven't eaten much today yet, that was probably a mistake. I'm sorry if I worried you," he apologized with his best manners. He _did_ possess them – his parents, while loving, always had been strict about how they raised the boys. They probably would be horrified if they could see how they acted now most of the time. The blond had said the last to their guest and was now bowing slightly before straightening up again. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mustang," he continued smoothly, holding out his hand.

The black-haired man seemed to relax somewhat now, losing the worried expression he had before.

"The pleasure is all mine, Edward. But please, call me Roy. I might be your brother's boss, but that doesn't mean you have to be so formal."

They shook hands and the golden-eyed teen was sure that both of them felt the spark passing between them, even through the cloth of his glove and the automail. There was something between them that was so noticeable it was nearly visible. The youngest of the three really didn't know how to deal with this.

Interrupting them, Max cleared his throat. Ed and Roy had been staring at each other's eyes for nearly a minute now, neither of them moving and their hands still clasped. And while he had hoped something like this would happen when he had invited his boss' son over, it wouldn't do for them to stand in the foyer all evening. With both their eyes on him now, he smiled at them while making a gesture towards the living room.

"Why don't you two go and sit down? I will make dinner. I hope you won't mind that I leave Edward with you as company?" he asked the black-eyed man; even though he could see the slightly horrified look his brother was giving him.

"Not at all. I'm sure Ed will be a perfect host," Roy replied, his eyes back on the blond.

Ed just swallowed and nodded then, taking another deep breath and gesturing for the taller man to follow him.

Once they were seated and the golden-eyed teen had brought their guest something to drink, he tried some safe topics of conversation. The last thing he wanted was to become too familiar with this Roy. It couldn't end well.

"I hope you don't mind my asking, but how come your last name doesn't match your fathers?" he asked, taking a sip of his water. It had been a while since he was required to make polite conversation, and it was coming back to him incredibly fast why he had hated it so much.

Roy just laughed.

"Don't worry, I get that a lot. The official story would be that my father wanted to keep me 'safe' until I was old enough to play an active part within the company. The truth however, isn't as nice. My parents divorced before I was born and I grew up with my mother, not even knowing who my father was and taking on her maiden name. When I was fifteen she died because of an illness and that was the first time I even got to know about my father. I went to live with him then, but I refused to take on his name. It had taken us a long time to even talk to each other without blaming the other for what happened."

Ed grimaced and wanted to apologize for asking, but then he saw the thoughtful gaze Roy had now.

"And I don't even know why I was even telling you that. No-one in the company knows the real story, neither does your brother. It's just that I felt as if it was right to tell you," he frowned visibly, obviously not happy about that. The blond could see that Roy usually wasn't as trusting. Giving him a small smile and a nod to reassure him, Ed resigned himself to whatever was about to come. It seemed like there was no running away now. It wasn't only him who felt this.

"I know what you mean, but if you want, we can talk about safer topics. It was just that I was curious as for what would have prompted your father to name his heir different than him. Also, if you want, we can pretend as if you only told me the official story and I will ignore that I ever got to know the rest," he offered. Honestly, he only wanted to forget he ever met Roy. Sitting here with the other, in the same room, looking at each other with this strange warmth in their gazes was doing things to his insides that he didn't want to consider.

He loved Greed. He loved him as much as he ever thought he could love someone – that didn't stand in question. But he feared what might happen if he got much more familiar with this Roy. What might happen to his feelings if he got to know him better. Because there was one thing he knew for sure. The Roy Mustang that sat before him now, was the perfect reincarnation of the old Roy.

The Roy that had been his lover.

* * *

*chuckles* Yup, and now the _good_ stuff (at least in my opinion .) starts xD

_**Additional Authors Note:**_

_**Seeing that this ff apparently gets little to no hits I'm assuming that, at least here on , no-one is really interested in it anymore. Due to that fact I have decided to stop posting it for now – here at least. I still intend on finishing it and I'll keep posting it in other places, but as for now, I'll stop here. If there is someone who would be interested in seeing this continued, just drop me a line – I'll continue here then too. I just don't see any sense in putting in the work of making it ready to post here if no-one even wants it^^**_


	7. Chapter 8

_**Lovely Rebel**_  
_**Rating:**_ M  
_**Pairing(s)/Threesome:**_ Ed/Greed, later there will be Ed/Roy which will finally lead up to Ed/Greed/Roy. Oh, and I even managed to squeeze in past Roy/Ed XD There are also hints at past Al/Winry  
_**Warnings:**_ angst, sap, AT, lemons, Ed's mouth, humor, trying to sound as if I understand alchemy XD  
_**Word Count Chapter:**_ 3.996  
_**Word Count FF posted to date:**_ 31.289  
_**Summary:**_ Ed's brother puts him on a boarding school after having had to deal with him one time too often.  
_**Thanks:**_ To anime_gal22 and lectawindwalker for the amazing Beta jobs they did on this! *hugs them both*  
_**Author's Note:**_ As you can see, I've decided to keep posting here for now. Thanks to some of you I know that there are actually still people reading it^^ Thanks to you *hugs you* I don't mind if you're not commenting every chapter, but it would be nice if you let me know every now and then if this is still worthy of reading or if it should be better stopped, ok? :)

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_**Lovely Rebel – Chapter 8**_

Later, as he was lying in his bed, Ed re-played the evening in his head. Roy had said that he didn't mind it if the blond knew this detail about him and had asked some questions himself. They had talked, but it had become obvious pretty fast that they were both fishing for information on the other. Not in a bad way, but more like one would do on a date. Max had come at one point to fetch them for dinner, but the small smirk he was wearing told his younger brother that he was quite happy about how things worked out.

Max had made it clear that he didn't approve of George the minute they had spoken after Edward's birthday. In his opinion, no-one that went to a school like that would be even remotely good enough for an Elric. Even though the shorter of the two pointed out that he had placed him there himself and that he should have thought of something like that happening before he had done it, the brown-haired man wasn't deterred. Greed hadn't done anything to earn this near-hate, but it seemed like Max knew on an instinctive level that Ed together with the green-eyed teen, destiny as he saw it couldn't come true. He even went as far as blaming Ed's lover for his behavior, something the blond thought just laughable. After all, his brother had placed him in that school _because_ of his behavior – how should Greed be responsible for it if he had only met him then?

Now, with Roy coming into the picture, Max was sure that everything would work out. That Ed would fall in love with him again, just as he had done in the past, and that he would finally become the person he thought he should be. It was delusional really, but the older man had shown in the past that he was able to ignore logic all together if it came to his personal view of what was 'perfect'.

What had Ed really worried were his own feelings. Ever since he first laid eyes on Roy, he'd felt confused and hurt. Confused because he couldn't understand half of what he felt, and hurt in a strange way for his lover. He knew he loved George, so why was he feeling all this? Was it only the echo of what had been that was playing with his feelings like this? Or was this… _pull_ that he felt toward the older youth real? He couldn't know, and he wasn't sure if he really wanted to find out.

As he fell asleep that night, many many hours later, it was restless and full of dreams. Dreams about Roy; dreams about their past. And dreams about how Greed would react if he ever found out.

~*~*~H~*~*~

A few days later the phone rang. Ed was alone at home and he wondered who might call. Max's girlfriend knew he was at work and she usually only called his cell phone. It didn't happen often that someone called their house phone. Maybe Sarah, but she had been there only the day before, so the blond doubted it. Shrugging, he decided to answer it and find out.

"Hello? Elric here," he said after pushing the button to connect the call.

"Hello Edward, Roy here," the caller answered, making Ed's eyes grow wide.

"I thought you might be interested in meeting me and go to a movie or something. I'm done here with my inspections for today and thought you might be bored, now that you don't have school," the older youth suggested, making the golden-eyed teen's heart flutter somewhat.

A movie. A movie with Roy. Wasn't that just the typical first-date like setting?

But then again… it also was an activity that guys their age did together just to hang out. Roy was only four years older than Ed, and as far as the short teen had gathered from his visit here, he had only recently moved into the area to oversee his father's firms that were gathered around here, so he didn't know anyone yet. It could be that he was just as bored himself and, not knowing anyone else, thought they might do something together. There wasn't anything wrong with that, right? Right.

Having convinced himself that there wasn't anything wrong with actually spending time with the black-haired man, Ed smiled somewhat.

"Sure, sounds good to me. Any preferences?" he asked, trying to be casual about it, even though his heart was going faster than he liked.

"Not really. I thought we could just pick one once we got to the theater," Roy answered him, confirming Ed's suspicion that he might be just as bored.

"Ok. You going to pick me up in… let's say half an hour?" That would give him enough time to shower and change into some decent clothes. Since he hadn't planned to leave the house today he was still wearing his sleeping clothes.

"Got it. I'll be there in thirty then," the older youth told him and they said their good-byes before hanging up.

Pushing the button to disconnect the call, the blond was staring at the phone in his hand, slowly realizing what he had agreed to here.

"Oh shit."

~*~*~H~*~*~

Exactly thirty minutes later, Roy pressed the door bell, standing at the front door. Seconds later, Edward opened the door for him.

"Hi. I only need to put on some shoes and we can leave. Or do you want to come in first?" he offered, keeping in mind that while it looked like he and Roy might become friends, the older youth was still his brother's boss. The black-haired youth just gave him a grin.

"You don't have to be so formal. I'm here just because I thought it would be nice to spend some time together. You won't get your brother in trouble just because you behave like yourself," he told the blond, making him grin in answer.

"Good then. Though I should warn you – not many people get along with me when I'm 'being myself,'" he told the taller of the both of them while putting on some boots and then, taking his keys, pulling the door closed after him.

That made Roy laugh somewhat.

"Oh, don't worry; it's hard to get rid of me once I take a liking to someone. But if you must, I'll consider myself warned." He winked at Ed and the golden-eyed teen had to look away, feeling his cheeks grow warm. Granted, with it being so cold out here the color could be explained and Roy might not even notice, but he would rather there weren't any effects on him at all.

~*~*~H~*~*~

After the movie, Roy suggested they eat dinner at the local burger joint. Not having any other plans and actually having a good time, Ed agreed.

The movie had been ok. Nothing special, but not too bad either. They both agreed that it was a bit too stereotypical and that many of the plot-lines could be guessed before they actually happened, but the special effects had been quite good and the action scenes were done really well too. So while neither of them would feel the need to see it again, they didn't consider it a waste of money.

Once seated inside the restaurant – if one could call it that – and their meals before them, they started to talk about several different topics again. The last time they only had had limited time, seeing that Max had been present as well and seeing that Roy had been his guest theoretically – even though Ed _knew_ he had only brought him along to introduce the two of them to each other – it would have been rude of them to ignore him. This time however, there wasn't anything holding them back. Neither of them had to be anywhere in the morning and they were both of age. If they wanted they could stay outside the whole night and no-one could say anything.

"What exactly are you doing around here anyway?" Ed asked the older youth while chewing on one of his French fries. "I mean, I get that it has something to do with your father's company, but I didn't get the feeling as if you two actually got that well along."

Roy took a sip of his soda before answering.

"Actually, we get along ok now, I guess. I resented him for the first few months I was living with him, but after a while I got that he and my mother just wouldn't have been a good fit if they had tried to stay together. My uncle tells me they had fought nearly constantly and that they more or less only married because of the sex in the first place. And after they realized that my mother was pregnant with me, they decided that it might be better to go separate ways. Their relationship might have worked for only them, but with a child involved it could have become awkward. Not to forget that my mother actually wanted me and my father wasn't ready for children just then."

Well, Ed could certainly understand that.

"But that is no excuse for never getting in contact with you," he reasoned, thinking that no matter what, Roy's father should of at least have tried to establish _some_ contact.

"Well, yeah, but I don't think it even occurred to my parents. You have to see, they married when they were nineteen, and one year later I was on the way. My father felt pressured and my mother thought she finally found her way in life. With them moving so far away from one another it was impractical. I mean, I _knew_ I had a father – my mother never denied that fact and it wasn't like you could really deny it to begin with – but he was just never there. I'm pretty sure that if I would have asked, neither of them would have had a problem making regular visits possible."

"So it wasn't directly as if they denied you contact to him, but more that it was like 'don't ask, don't tell?" the blond inquired.

"Exactly. By the time my mother died, my father was ready to take over responsibility. I have to give him points there. When I moved in with him I was mistrustful, still pretty shocked about my mother's death and accused him of just taking me in because he was the only blood relation I had left. He left me to throw my tantrums for the first few weeks before he actually tried to explain to me that it had never been something against me. It still took me some time, but after a while he first gained my respect and trust, and later I think we actually established something like a father-son relationship. It's not close, but it's not bad either," Roy shrugged, showing that he was entirely ok with how things were for him now. The golden-eyed teen just nodded to show he understood.

"The thing I had to get used to most was moving back to Xing. My mother and I had both lived in Amestris, because her mother had raised her here, but my father has his head office in a small city near the capitol in Xing, and therefore leaving is difficult for him. His company is – as you may know – huge and has many branches. Mainly in Xing, but also in Amestris and Creta." The older youth took another sip of his drink.

"Which leads me back to your original question – why I'm even here. After I came of age he asked me if I was interested in taking over the family business one day and seeing that I always had been interested in pharmacy I told him yes. He then took me in as his student and showed me everything I needed to know about it; well, as much as one could fit into four years of learning. Now he has sent me to Amestris to oversee our firms around here as another part in my training. If all goes well he thinks that he might station me permanently here. From here I have better possibilities to travel to Creta as well, so it only makes sense to put a second main office here. And with me being more familiar with Amestris than him we both thought it was a good idea."

Ed definitely could see the logic behind that.

"So you actually have full rights to do anything you want within the company? Whatever changes you think would be good will be made?" he questioned more. For him this was really impressive. While their family wasn't exactly poor, the black-haired youth had a much more influential position. And to have something like that with only twenty-two years wasn't something that happened to just anyone.

Roy just laughed and shook his head.

"No, of course not. Not even my father can do that anymore. Ever since the company has grown bigger than just a few firms we have had a board of directors that assist in any major decisions that are to be made. Every one of our firms has a local manager that oversees things and if there is anything they think could be done better or more efficient then they report it. I'm mainly doing some inspections right now – see that everything within the firms is in order, if the workers are treated right and not slacking off – stuff like that. Of course, if I want to do some minor changes, like how the walls are painted, then I can give the order for it and it would be processed, but anything bigger than a local change would have to go through the board. My father has a bit more freedom with his decisions, but he still can't order just what he wants. It's mainly to protect the men and women that work for us, but also our customers. And anything that has to do with our budget has to go through the board anyway. You can't imagine how long they can discuss matters as from which companies we should order our pencils." He rolled his eyes here. "Usually it's a question of price compared to duration when it comes to company equipment, but even if the pencils are, for example, for the same price and have the same consistency, then it's still a question of which color they want to have or how our logo should be displayed on them. Sometimes I really think they just argue about shit like that so they have something to argue about. And in nine out of ten times they will still decide to go with the first suggestion or 'to debate about the topic during the next meeting, since clearly no decision can be made at the current time'." His voice had taken on a slightly mocking tone, and Ed couldn't help the laugh the left him, earning himself a glare from the black-haired man.

"You laugh, this is actually _happening_. And I have to sit in these meetings and watch them argue for hours. I think my father is amused by it all, but I can't see how it is efficient to pay people this highly when they do nothing but argue about stuff like that all day. And let's not talk about all the paperwork that comes with it." At this point, Roy had clearly realized that he amused the blond with his stories about his father's company and so he continued to talk, a slightly amused sparkle in his own eyes. "God, that nearly made me reconsider my decision to become the heir of the company. Before every meeting you get a batch of papers you have to read, and good luck to you if you don't. They will go over each and every paragraph during the meeting again, but they will ask your opinion on every. Little. Thing. I don't joke, it's really like that. Sometimes I'm surprised we don't get requests from someone wanting to take a break to go shit." His eyebrows narrowed now in a thoughtful way.

"Actually, now that I think about it, we got such a request only a few months ago," he continued, shaking his head and making a gesture that clearly stated how sad he thought that was. Ed was howling with laughter by now.

"You're trying to kid me!" he choked, tears of laughter glimmering in the corners of his eyes from his mirth. Roy only shook his head again.

"Sadly, no. Well, it wasn't exactly the request of a single worker, but the managers wanted us to make a new break-plan because some workers had complained about the difficulty of everyone going to the toilette at once during lunch. So we actually had to cut the lunch-break and work in some shorter breaks during working hours so that they all could be happy. Though now we actually got some complains about the fact that we cut the lunch hour. But really, we can't let them have both. They have to work too."

They talked a bit more after that, actually losing track of time. It wasn't hard for them to talk with each other at all, something they both found pleasant. After the topic of Roy's current work they went onto how they grew up and what their hobbies were. Ed had avoided the topic of how his school was with a shrug and a 'nothing special', feeling bad about himself. Why hadn't he told the other youth that he had a boyfriend waiting for him? Someone that he loved? Why was he trying to avoid talking about him and their time together? It confused him and it also made him feel guilty beyond belief. He hadn't even done it on purpose, hadn't even thought about it. It was just the first thing that popped out of his mouth after the older youth questioned him.

His mood fell after that. He was sure that Roy noticed, but they still continued for a while longer. The blond tried to get back into their conversation – it wasn't the other's fault that he was such an idiot – but he just didn't feel like it anymore.

"Ed? Is something the matter? Would you rather we change the topic?" the black-eyed man asked after a while. The short teen even had to think about what they had been talking about. If he wasn't completely mistaken they had talked about sports, though he wasn't sure. He shook his head in the negative.

"No, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just tired. I was up late yesterday and I'm not used to talking so much." He excused himself, even though it was a lie. True, he _was_ tired, but it was mostly because his conscience was nagging at him. And while he had been up quite late the day before, it hadn't been any longer than usual – not to forget that he had slept in. The talking was just a blatant lie – he could talk a lot more if he wanted to, something that amused Greed greatly at times.

But…Greed. He couldn't get over the fact that he had so blatantly denied his lover. It was bad enough to realize that he had had fun these few past hours, and that he hadn't even thought about the green-eyed teen once. To also realize that he obviously didn't want Roy to know about the fact that he was taken, even if it was only subconsciously… it hurt. It was like he was ashamed of the fact that he had taken George as his lover. Either that or he didn't want the older youth to know that there was someone special for him.

Ed really didn't know what would be better.

Giving the blond a nod in understanding, Roy stood up.

"I should take you home then. Though I hope we can repeat something like this soon," he told him, making the golden-eyed teen feel even worse. Forcing a slight smile on his lips, he nodded.

"I would like that. I had fun today, so please don't take this against you," he told him, feeling guilty about every word he said. It wouldn't surprise him if the taller man could see through him, so transparent did he feel right now. It was as if his lie was written right on his forehead, for the entire world to see. He hadn't actually _cheated_ on Greed, but he thought he might as well have. But Roy seemed to believe everything he said, or at least he pretended to do so, because he only gave Ed an understanding smile.

"Don't worry, I don't mind. I can understand that sometimes a new situation can grow over ones head. We'll just continue the next time where we left off today, ok?" he suggested while they walked to his car.

And while he only said that to comfort the blond, the short teen now felt sick.

How could he lie to them both? Even though he hadn't lied to Greed directly, all his actions were as good as a lie.

'I need to write him as soon as I get back. I need to tell him.' Ed decided as he got into the car, trying to settle his stomach again. He needed to clear his conscience and tell his lover what had happened. So far he hadn't even told him about his meeting with Roy, thinking it would be better not to worry him. Now however…

'But what am I going to write? I can't tell him that I met my past lover and what he makes me feel, it only would sound like I'm intending to leave him and trying to prepare him for it, that's not what I want. I still love him, that hasn't changed.' He chewed on his bottom lip, trying to decide what to do. 'Still, he deserves to know. No matter how, but I need to tell him.'

Needless to say, the paper on his desk laid untouched later that night as the blond went to bed, curled up and holding his knees to his chest, trying to get his emotions back under his control.

~*~*~H~*~*~

_Hey Ed,_

_I'm getting worried about you. I know you probably have things to do, but the last letter I sent you was over a week ago and it's not like you to let so much time pass without answering._

_I think what I really want to say is that I miss you._

_Life here in the orphanage is boring as usual. They actually told me that I have to act as some kind of 'role-model' or some such shit for the younger ones. And they bullied me into watching the pre-teens so that they won't get into too much trouble. I think they still don't get that this never had worked on me and it won't work anymore on them. Letting me watch over them is a plan that is set out to fail from the start. But I guess it's not my problem. I'll be gone from here in a few months for good, so I don't really care._

_I really miss having you here. I miss talking with you. I even miss our stupid arguments. No-one here gets me like you do. Scratch that, no-one other than you gets me period. It's kind of hard coming back here after all the months we've spend together and to realize how cold my life had really been before I met you. It only makes me love you more, even though I haven't thought that would be possible._

_Please try to let me at least know that you're still kicking. It doesn't have to be a long letter, but I'll admit that I'm needy. I need to know that you're well and that you'll come back after the break._

_Love, Greed_

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*hugs poor Greed* Yup, the poor guy needs a lot of love right now^^


	8. Chapter 9

_**Lovely Rebel**_  
_**Rating:**_ M  
_**Pairing(s)/Threesome:**_ Ed/Greed, later there will be Ed/Roy which will finally lead up to Ed/Greed/Roy. Oh, and I even managed to squeeze in past Roy/Ed XD There are also hints at past Al/Winry  
_**Warnings:**_ angst, sap, AT, lemons, Ed's mouth, humor, trying to sound as if I understand alchemy XD  
_**Word Count Chapter:**_ 3.591  
_**Word Count FF posted to date:**_ 34.880  
_**Summary:**_ Ed's brother puts him on a boarding school after having had to deal with him one time too often.  
_**Thanks:**_ To animegal22 and lectawindwalker for the amazing Beta jobs they did on this! *hugs them both*  
_**Author's Note:**_ Yes yes, I know, I'm quite behind in the posting schedule . Though I can honestly say that that's mainly due to my not having had internet these past few weeks. I _could_ have had this part out yesterday - I admit that - but I was honestly too lazy. So yeah. BUT... here it is. Hopefully now I'll be able to go back to regular updates again ^_^ There are still a lot of chapters that are already written after all :D

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_**Lovely Rebel – Chapter 9**_

It had been two days already. Two days since he had received Greed's last letter and he really felt like breaking down and crying right then and there.

He couldn't write him. He tried, but whenever he sat down to do it he just felt… sick. As if whatever he would write would be a lie; would be set out to mislead him.

Since the first time they'd gone out together, Roy had picked him up two more times. There was no denying the fun they had together, and Ed really enjoyed the older youth's company. It was only afterwards that he felt like shit for actually doing this. Felt like he was betraying his lover again and again.

He spent a good bit of time every day trying to convince himself that these outings with Roy weren't anything other than just two friends hanging out together. There was no other way he could actually live with himself if he started to think about it in another way. Though even while he told himself that, he knew he was lying to himself. But even then, it felt better to lie to himself than to his lover.

Today they had been out skating together. And this was finally enough to make Ed break down, remembering the last hours before the break that he had spent with Greed. He had told Roy that he thought he was getting sick and had made the other bring him back home, where he had holed up in his room once again, curling under the covers of his bed, the ring that the green-eyed teen had given him in his hand.

It wasn't often that he took it off like this. At least some part of his conscience was still ok with it all; after all, he always wore it whenever he met with Roy. But sometimes, like now, he took it off to play with it and to look at it and to generally think about his lover.

Greed. There was so much about the taller teen that he loved; that he admired. They understood each other and he knew he could always go to his lover, no matter what. They had shared parts of their past that no-one else knew about, be it this life or their previous one.

It wasn't like they knew anything for _sure_ about their former lives, but they had these… _flashes_, that made them think about certain things. Most of the time it, wasn't more than feeling familiar with something or a certain situation. Sometimes it was words, spoken in a certain way, which triggered such a flash. Another time it was certain clothes. Ed knew that his way of styling was distinctly different than what his former self had worn, even though he did possess at least the black leather pants and a black muscle shirt. Likewise, while George had some snug black pants as well, he doesn't have exactly the same outfit – and leather had never been available for someone out of the orphanage. It didn't matter – it _felt_ familiar and that was all it needed.

Making a decision, the blond got up from the bed, sliding the ring back on his finger. He needed to talk to Greed, but a letter just wouldn't be the same.

Taking some of his money, he called himself a cab before he could chicken out again. It would be really expensive to actually drive there, but he needed to go _now_, before he could think about it for too long.

Ten minutes later had him sitting in the backseat of a cab, having given the driver the address where he wanted to go and looking out of the window.

He just hoped that he had made the right decision.

~*~*~H~*~*~

Knocking.

"George, there is someone here to see you," the voice of one of the guardians around the orphanage to him through the closed door of his room. Putting the book he had been reading to the side and frowning, Greed sat up just before the door opened, revealing one of the younger women that he actually got somewhat along with together with…

"Ed?"

He knew his voice had sounded with surprised disbelief. He couldn't believe that his lover was actually here! They had decided against visiting each other before they had to part last year, so he really hadn't expected to see him before school started again.

However, he could see that something was… off with the blond. He couldn't directly say what, but he almost instantly noticed that there was something wrong. Slowly he started to get up from his bed while Edward thanked Mrs. Marta for bringing him up here and then coming into the room, closing the door behind him and taking a nervous look around.

"I always forget that they have shared rooms in an orphanage as well. I probably wouldn't have felt as right about coming here if I had remembered. You think one of your roommates will be back anytime soon?" he asked, clearly nervous, making the taller teen frown and walk to him.

Laying one of his hands on the shorter teen's cheek, he felt him flinch away from his touch somewhat before finally relaxing into it. Greed narrowed his eyes some more. Something was definitely wrong.

"What's wrong, Ed? I can tell just by the way you're standing here that you're not feeling sure of yourself. What happened?" he asked his lover, concern for the blond clearly showing through. Ed just gave him a forced, sad smile before wrapping his arms around his upper body and pressing close, burying his face in the strong chest before him. There wasn't anything the older of the two could do then hold him back, so he did.

After they had stood like that for several minutes, Greed could feel that the golden-eyed teen's shoulders started to tremble with the withheld emotion and he steered the two of them towards his bed, sitting down and pulling his boyfriend with him. Once they had both settled against each other, he unwound the thick braid and ran his fingers through the loose, long hair, massaging the scalp from time to time in a gesture to sooth the blond.

It took a few more minutes, but Ed managed to get himself back under control and look up at the green-eyed teen before him. He hadn't cried, but he had felt pretty close to it.

"I'm sorry; I didn't want to worry you. But… things have been happening lately and whenever I wanted to write you about them I just never knew where to start. It felt like I could never put everything I felt in just a letter and I didn't want to give you the wrong impression and so I just couldn't bring myself to actually write you and I feel like shit and I don't deserve you and I don't even know why I so suddenly decided to come here other than I knew that I needed to see you." He told him, looking and sounding utterly miserable. This wasn't the first time Greed had witnessed him starting to babble, but this was the first time that he had been so… _emotional_ in the sense of near break-down. Usually he just started to rant about whatever had gotten him this riled up.

Lifting the hand, that had been rubbing in soothing circles up and down the blond's back, to his face and caress his cheek, the black-haired teen tried to smile reassuringly for his lover, even though he was still worried.

"It's ok; I never held it against you that you weren't writing. I just assumed you might not have the time for it. It was just that I was becoming worried about what might have happened to you. I know it sounds ridiculous, but without me there to look out for you, I felt like you would maybe just… drift away from me. And don't tell me how wrong it is for me to think that, but I can't help my feelings. And I certainly don't mind having you here, no matter what prompted you to come here in the first place," he told him softly, his other hand still gently massaging his scalp. However, if anything, then his words made Ed look even guiltier. Confused as to what had happened he searched the golden eyes before him questioningly. "Why don't you tell me what has happened from the beginning?" he prompted, seeing the shorter teen take a deep breath and nod. Seeing that this wasn't going to be easy for the blond, Greed laid them back down on his bed, wrapping his arms once again around his lover. They hadn't even kissed yet, but somehow he had the feeling it would have been wrong if they had.

"A while ago, during the first days of the new year, Max brought someone home with him. He is the heir of the company my brother works for and around here to make inspections. And Max thought it might be a good idea to introduce us since we both don't have any friends around the area and he is only four years older than me." The older of the two of them could hear the sarcasm with which Ed depicted Max intentions and he felt there was more to it than what the short teen had said so far. And he was right.

"We got along really well that first evening, so he called me a few days later to invite me to a movie and to just hang out. We talked a lot and after that first time we met a few more times. There are a lot of similarities between the two of us, even though we have grown up completely different," the golden-eyed teen told him, and then, clearly bracing himself for the impact of whatever he was going to say next, he continued.

"His name is Roy Mustang."

~*~*~H~*~*~

Fear. That was the first thing the green-eyed teen felt upon learning the name of that mysterious new friend. Fear and dread.

Of course he knew the name. He and Ed had both read the blond's former self's journals and not all of the entries had been alchemy related. There were quite a few that were of a very personal nature. A lot of them contained thoughts and feelings about a certain commanding officer, and later there was written down every step they made before actually getting together.

He knew that Roy Mustang had been Ed's lover and life-partner in his previous life, maybe in more lives before that.

The second his brain had registered the name, it had short-circuited. This had so many implications it wasn't even funny anymore. Was Ed here to break up with him? Was that why his lover was feeling so obviously chagrined? But… no. The blond had said that he couldn't tell him about this through a letter because he feared Greed would get the wrong idea. This meant that he didn't want him to jump to conclusions, right? And he had done exactly that right now. Somehow the green-eyed teen felt dumb for having done that.

Slowly taking a deep breath, he nodded, gesturing for Ed to continue. He could see that the golden-eyed teen was relieved that he was letting him continue, showing him the trust he deserved. Even though there was something else in those expressive eyes, as if the long-haired youth didn't feel like he was deserving of said trust anymore.

"The first time I met him was when my brother brought him home that evening, I felt as if something had run over me. It was as if my whole world was suddenly upside down. I recognized him instantly, not only because of the pictures that I have seen of him, but also because I just _knew_ it was him. My _body_, my _soul_ recognized him," Ed explained softly, his voice nearly whispering and obviously not happy about the fact, but at the same time he was awed by it.

"I can't be sure if he felt the same thing, but Max left me to entertain him while he cooked and… it didn't even take a few minutes before Roy was actually telling me things that he said he usually didn't tell anyone else. Not even Max, who _works_ for him, knew as much as I did within only a few, short minutes."

Greed understood what the blond was telling him. While he hadn't any confirmation that the other man had felt the same recognition, it was a pretty sure sign that he did if he had started to confide in Ed within such a short time.

"My feelings were totally going crazy that first night. I didn't know what to think, what to _feel_. There is this… _pull_ that wants me to get closer to Roy, but at the same time my love for you is still there just as strong as before and I just… don't know what to do. I wanted to write you that first night after his visit, but that was where I found out that I just… couldn't. I didn't know how to describe all this without making you feel as if I want to break up with you, because I don't want that. I just… I feel so _guilty_ for feeling all this. I don't know _why_ I'm feeling all this, but something within me says I should just let it go its natural course and I can't let it do that because I just… I don't know, I just _know_ that if I were to do that my body might do something I would regret," he told his lover in a torn voice, showing the turmoil that was raging inside him.

"Like I said, after that first evening, Roy called me a few days later to ask me to just go to a movie with him. We were both bored so it seemed logical that we do something together. I told myself that it's not wrong to just meet him as a friend. He hadn't shown me any signs that he wanted more and it seemed idiotic to refuse someone who might become a good friend just because of my past and because I couldn't really trust myself," the blond explained, though Greed had the feeling it was as much to convince himself as it was to show the green-eyed teen that he hadn't planned to do anything. He nodded to show that he understood.

"We went to the theater together and after that went to eat something in a burger joint. We talked. It was then that we discovered how well we _really_ got along, seeing that the last time we still had Max there whom we couldn't ignore." Ed paused and took a deep breath, obviously preparing himself for what he was going to say next. "He told me about his past and what he was doing right now, explained a few things to me about his life and how he came to be the heir of his father's company. Then he asked me about myself, about school." The blond's face clearly took on the expression of a pained grimace, obviously coming to one of those parts he felt most guiltily about.

"I told him that there was nothing special! I don't know why I did it, it happened before I could even think about it! I felt so… so _sick_ after I realized that I had just denied you in some way, that I had just played everything we had down as something not significant." This clearly did gnaw on Ed and Greed had to admit – at least to himself – that he felt hurt by the admission. He had feared that something like that might have happened, and as it was, it actually was better than his worst-case scenario of what he had feared, but it still hurt. However, seeing and feeling how much his lover loathed himself for it, he didn't say anything, just continued to hold him close and rub in soothing circles over his back.

"It was then that I realized what I was actually doing. It felt like I was actually cheating on you and I just… couldn't stomach that. I let him take me back home shortly after. And while I decided on my way back that I just _had_ to write you about all this, I just… couldn't. I didn't know what to write to not make this sound even worse than it already was." Ed's tone had gone soft, apologetic, but the guilt was still there. And Greed could see that this wasn't easy for his lover.

"Since then I have met with him a few more times. We never did anything other than stuff that friends might do, but it still feels wrong on some level. I mean, I don't even know if he actually has any interest in me romantically, but just knowing what my body is telling me is disturbing enough. I mean, I'm _happy_ with you. I can't wait for this next week to pass so that we can finally go back to school. But there is this… _something_ within me that just keeps insisting that I'm lying to myself and that I know what this all really means. But… I really don't think I do! I mean, don't you think I would know if I was lying to myself? I know that I did it when I told myself that it wouldn't hurt anyone if I met with Roy again. But I'm not now! My feelings for you have never been in question! It's only…" the blond's voice broke somewhat here and it went really soft again, so that Greed had to strain his ears to still understand him. "It's the fact that I can't seem to be able to be honest about us towards Roy. I mean, I haven't had any fantasies about him, I don't imagine him kissing me or the other way around… I just can't seem to bring myself to tell him."

The black-haired teen had a feeling that Ed was finished now, but he didn't say anything for a long while, just holding his lover and trying to calm him down. What was there really for him to say? It wasn't exactly ok what Edward was doing, but it wasn't like he had cheated on him either. Also it was more than obvious that he felt guilty about it all – it wouldn't be right to act up now to make him feel even worse. And – Greed had to remind himself of that – he couldn't forget that this wasn't the blond's fault. It wasn't his fault that his body recognized its old lover and yearned for him. It wasn't like Ed _chose_ to feel this way. So he just kept holding him close, burying his own face in the blond hair before him and thinking about everything that was happening.

He believed his lover when he told him that his feelings for him were just as strong as before. There was no reason for him to doubt Ed. Also he believed him when he told him that he didn't intend to leave him for Roy. However, something within him told him that he should prepare himself for it. That while the golden-eyed teen might not intend to do it, sooner or later it would come, without question. George decided to ignore that voice.

While they laid there, one of his roommates came into the room for a few minutes, but after the older teen requested that they be left alone for at least a few more hours, he nodded and promised to tell the others. It wasn't something they would do for just anyone – Greed knew that – but they all respected or looked up to him here. So they wouldn't dare to disrespect one of his requests.

Ed hadn't moved while the other teen was in the room with them, just lying curled up close to the taller of the two of them, pressed as tightly against him as he could. The green-eyed teen could tell that what he really needed was some reassurance. Reassurance that he hadn't ruined everything that was between them. And so, once the door had closed again, he started to do just that. He had a feeling that sex right now wouldn't be the right thing to do, at least not at a level where he let Ed take him, but he certainly set out to make his boyfriend feel loved and cherished, kissing him and holding him and generally letting his hands roam all over his body, keeping at it until Ed returned the gestures, kissed him back with the desperation of a drowning man and grabbed him so tightly that the older teen was sure he would leave bruises.

It didn't matter. He could feel that the blond needed this right now, and when he was honest, he needed it just as much. This wasn't just a quickie to satisfy their physical urges, this went far beyond that. It ran deeper and far more emotional. Neither of them rose above the other this time, they were just using their hands. And while the orgasm felt good as it came, it wasn't what was important.

The important part was that it was them; that they were together. And that this was where they wanted to be.

In each other's arms.

~*~*~H~*~*~

* * *

That was it for this time again ^_^ Like I said, I hope the next chapter will be ready to get posted as usual again ^_^ I hope you all enjoyed! :D


	9. Chapter 10

_**Lovely Rebel**_  
_**Rating:**_ M  
_**Pairing(s)/Threesome:**_ Ed/Greed, later there will be Ed/Roy which will finally lead up to Ed/Greed/Roy. Oh, and I even managed to squeeze in past Roy/Ed XD There are also hints at past Al/Winry  
_**Warnings:**_ angst, sap, AT, lemons, Ed's mouth, humor, trying to sound as if I understand alchemy XD  
_**Word Count Chapter:**_ 3.495  
_**Word Count FF posted to date:**_ 38.375  
_**Summary:**_ Ed's brother puts him on a boarding school after having had to deal with him one time too often.  
_**Thanks:**_ To anime_gal22 and lectawindwalker for the amazing Beta jobs they did on this! *hugs them both*  
_**Author's Note:**_ Heya! Yes, this baby is still alive. It never actually died – only lectawindwalker's laptop did a couple of times and took that chappy with it. Bad laptop :F Since she had already put so much work into it I decided to wait until she beat her laptop in sending it to me before it gets swallowed. So it took a while, sorry about that ^^;; BUT now it's all nicely beta'd by both of my lovely betas :D *hugs them both*

* * *

_**Lovely Rebel – Chapter 10**_

Later that evening, Ed had called home to see if his brother could come and get him. While he had told Greed that he had taken a cab to come here, he wasn't about to do the same thing again if he could avoid it. It wasn't that he didn't have the money – he did – but it was just a ridiculous waste when one wanted to be objective about it.

Max had been angry with him at first – the blond hadn't left even a note as for where he was going to go, and he also suspected that his brother wasn't happy about the fact that he had visited his lover – but he had calmed down enough eventually to tell him that there was no way that he was going to be able to get him sometime today. Maybe tomorrow, but he couldn't promise that. It seemed like his girlfriend was in one of her moods where he couldn't leave her, something that wasn't uncommon for this stage of a pregnancy. However, before hanging up he suggested that Ed might call Roy, seeing that he was pretty sure the black-haired youth would come and get him.

After disconnecting the call, Ed mulled that over. It was true – he was also pretty sure that Roy wouldn't hesitate to come and get him once he heard he needed to be picked up – but he really wasn't sure if he wanted the older youth to get him. He felt better now that he had talked with his lover about it all, but it still didn't take away all the guilt he felt. Nor did it erase the feelings he felt when he was around Roy.

He was still thinking about whether it would be better to call Roy or a cab, when the phone started to ring. Seeing that he was only a guest around here, he let one of the women that worked here pick it up, looking confused when she said it was for him. No-one other than his brother knew that he was here, nor did anyone have the number. Though he guessed that Max would have been able to write it down as he had called him.

"Yes?" he asked as he took the phone, still a bit confused.

"Hey Ed. Your brother just called me and told me that you need to get picked up and that you might not want to bother me with asking. I just called to let you know that it's no problem and to make sure you don't call a cab before I actually arrive. Oh, and to get the address where you need to get picked up from of course." Roy's voice sounded through the phone, making Ed swallow and close his eyes, cursing his brother. He should have known that Max would try something. His brother probably would only be satisfied once he was safely married to Roy, behaving like a good little lapdog. Not that either was going to happen, but he really felt like his brother was trying to arrange his life just the way he wanted. However, Roy wasn't at fault here. He just wanted to help. So he forced a smile onto his lips and answered him.

"Hey. Thanks for the offer, but I really don't want to be a bother. This is pretty far away and it's already quite late. And I know that you have to work tomorrow," he told him, hoping to discourage the older youth from coming to fetch him. And it was true what he said. From where Roy lived he would need at least two and a half hour each way and it was already after eight pm. He knew that he should have tried to get back sooner, but the blond just couldn't separate himself from his lover once he had actually managed to see him again.

The black-haired man just snorted. "You know that it won't bother me at all. I won't go to bed before at least one anyway. So just tell me where you are and I will come and get you, especially knowing you might come down with something. And just to warn you – if you try to get rid of me or try to discourage me from getting you, I'll take it personally." The last was said in a jokingly tone, but the golden-eyed teen knew that he meant it. Sighing inwardly he gave in, knowing he shouldn't be mad at his friend for just wanting to help him and also feeling a bit guilty about having lied earlier that day. And it really was not logical to call a cab when he had someone to come and get him. So he agreed and told the black-eyed man the address of the orphanage before they said their salutations and hung up. Only then did he allow a real sigh to slip out.

"Anything the matter?" his lover asked when he came up close to him, slipping an arm around his waist. Ed shook his head and just leaned against him.

"It's nothing really. But Max couldn't come and suggested that I should call Roy. And apparently he knew that I wouldn't do it because he called him himself. That was him just now. I don't really know what to think of this. I mean, I knew he would get me if I called, but I thought it would be wrong, considering the fact that he was the reason why I came to see you today. And now he is coming to get me anyway." He told the taller teen; not looking up to meet his eyes and feeling the arm around his waist tighten before a soft kiss was pressed to the top of his head.

"Don't worry about it too much. You said yourself that you see Roy as a friend, and he clearly does too. You are allowed other friends, you know. And I trust you when you say that you don't want a relationship with him. I would lie if I said it doesn't bother me at all, especially knowing your past with him, but I also know that it wouldn't be right to deny you any contact with him. I just want you to be happy, Ed. You just have to work out for yourself what really makes you happy." He reassured the shorter teen, receiving a grateful smile in return as the blond finally looked up and then stretched up to kiss him.

"Thanks. For trusting me I mean," Edward told him with, both, his voice and eyes, warm. Greed just leaned down to kiss him again. They had at least two more hours before Roy would be there – they should make good use of that time.

It didn't have anything to do with the fact that the green-eyed teen wanted to make sure to remind his lover as to what they had together.

Not at all.

~*~*~H~*~*~

The last week before school started again seemed to take forever to pass while at the same time it seemed to fly by for the blond. He wanted back – desperately – to finally be with his lover again. But at the same time he knew that he was going to miss Roy. It would be idiotic of him to ignore the fact that he liked him and considered him a good friend. Also it didn't take a genius to figure out that if he didn't have Greed that he probably would try to get together with him in a romantic sense. But he had George and therefore didn't see any reason why he should try.

It was Saturday and Roy had asked if he would be ok with them going out to eat before Ed had to go back to the school the next day. The blond had agreed and was now waiting for the older youth to pick him up. The black-haired man had told him that this was going to be a bit classier than where they had eaten previously, so he had actually put on some of his dress-clothes.

Punctual as usual, Roy rang the door bell and Ed opened the door for him, grinning as he saw that the older youth looked pretty good in a suit. Roy had chosen dark-grey dress pants with a fitting jacket to go with it, together with a red button-down shirt. He really looked good like this. The blond himself had decided on black dress-pants, a cream colored dress-shirt and a dark-green jacket. It looked good on him and didn't make him feel like he was going to a funeral at the same time. And of course, his ever present gloves.

"You look good." Roy complimented him as the younger was checking to see if he had everything he would need. Grinning at him, Ed nodded and replied. "You too." Deciding that everything was in order he put on his coat and slipped his keys into the pocket, gesturing for the other to lead the way, closing the door behind them.

"So, are you going to tell me now where we're going to eat today?" the blond asked after they had gotten into the car and put on their safety belts.

"Nope. But I know that you'll like it. I made sure to check their menu to see if there was anything you will like." Roy flashed him a grin and Ed had to laugh at that. It was a standing joke between them that the shorter teen would be comfortable just about anywhere where he could get something good to eat.

Twenty minutes later saw them parked before one of the upper-class steak houses and the golden-eyed teen gave his friend an amused gaze. He wouldn't have to check the menus to know that he would like most of the food here. This restaurant had a very good reputation and was quite expensive – he knew so from what he had heard about it – but it wouldn't concern either of them. Not to forget that Roy had insisted on actually inviting the younger of them this time and refused to let him pay for anything. Edward was just surprised that the black-haired man had managed to get reservations at such short notice.

Once they were seated and had placed their orders, they fell into their usual, comfortable conversation. As they had previously discovered, Roy didn't have any experience with alchemy so far – not more than what anyone would get to know from just living in a state where alchemy was a known and practiced science at least. The blond had been surprised at that, but then he had to remind himself that the Roy he had been together with in the past didn't have any children. While he had done some research and had found out that this Roy was actually the descendant from one of Colonel Mustang's great-aunts, alchemy hadn't really been prominent in that part of the family.

So, after the older man had found out that Ed was pretty good with it and actually the descendant of one of the most famous alchemists of their time – or at least his brother, after the blond had corrected him with a roll of his eyes – he had questioned him quite a bit about it. It was obvious that he was interested in it, though it wasn't clear yet if he would pick the science up for himself.

Their drinks and meal came and they ate, their conversation never coming to a halt, though it was definitely slowing as they had to chew in between what they were saying.

After they had finished with their main course, they both ordered dessert to go with their wine. It was then, as Ed noticed how the fire of the candle reflected in Roy's black eyes, that he realized that this had the distinct feeling of a date. And once he had that realization, he started to feel uncomfortable, once again not knowing what he should do.

The older man didn't seem to notice that anything was wrong, but he had gone quiet himself, just looking at the swirling wine in his glass. At last he seemed to have decided on something, because he suddenly nodded and looked at the blond again, his gaze intense and nearly making the golden-eyed teen want to run away in fear of what might come. Before he could do anything, however, Roy started to talk.

"Ed, I mainly brought you here today because you'll go back to school tomorrow, but I also wanted to ask you something before you do. These last few weeks have been a lot of fun, and while I can't be completely sure, I think I have received some signals from you as well. Which is why I wanted to ask you if you would like for us both to date the other?" He said; quite calmly while his black eyes, with the dancing flames in them, never left the blond. "I thought it might be a good idea to bring you here today to see how it would work out in a more date-like setting, even if it wasn't a real date, and I have to say that I really liked how this evening went so far. I will be honest with you – I would like very much to date you. But if you just want to stay friends, then that's ok with me too." He continued before finally stopping long enough for the short teen to answer.

Ed felt… torn. His insides were screaming at him. He had feared that this might happen, had seen it coming from the very first second he had met Roy. And now, for the first time, he realized that he could deny it all he wanted, but at least some part of him had started to fall for the black-eyed youth before him too. His feelings for Greed were still as strong as ever, which was probably why he hadn't recognized this sooner, but beside them this feeling had started to grow, until it was nearly suffocating him now. However, no matter what this meant, he knew what he had to do.

Forcing a sad smile on his lips he broke their eye-contact and looked down into his own, nearly empty, glass. He couldn't let the other see how much this really cost him.

"I'm sorry, but I can't date you." He told him, his voice soft. "I know that I might not have been entirely fair with you, but I am actually currently in a relationship, and quite happily so. I don't know why I couldn't bring myself to tell you about it, but the orphanage where you picked me up last week, is actually where my lover lives right now." He took a deep, calming breath, feeling that finally letting this out was a relieving experience. And with that, he also finally found the strength to look back up and into these enticing black eyes watching him.

"I love George. I won't lie to you – I really like you. And if I wasn't with him, then I probably would have honestly considered your offer. However, I _am_ happy with him and I really don't see any reason why I should break up with him. So… I'm sorry, but I can't accept that offer." He told him, feeling somewhat bad that he had to turn the older youth down, but also reassured that he was still strong enough with his feelings and beliefs that he could do so. Smiling faintly he looked down again, his thumb playing with the ring that Greed had given him.

Roy nodded, obviously accepting the news with a collected mask that he had shown before and which was familiar to Ed – even though he was sad that he was the reason for it to slip in place.

"Very well. I can't say I'm completely surprised. There were some instances where you looked like you wanted to tell me something, but couldn't go through with it, so I take it that was it. However, I still mean what I said before. While I would have preferred to date you, I still would like to stay your friend." He told the blond, receiving a small smile in return.

"I would like that too. Like I said – this is nothing against you. It's just that I really can't see myself breaking up with George anytime soon, if at all," the golden-eyed teen replied, earning himself a slight grin in return.

"Would you at least consider keeping me in mind if it ever comes to that? I mean, I won't hope for you to break up with your lover – I only want you to be happy Ed – but I can't help hoping that maybe one day I'll get a chance with you," he told the blond, who just nodded again in answer.

"I think I can do that." He answered; his own grin somewhat strained but definitely genuine.

"Thank you. That said…" The older of the both of them was suddenly pulling something from one of his pockets and laying it between them on the table. It was a cell phone. "I know that you don't have one yourself, so I would be really happy if you would accept taking this one for us to stay in contact. It's a partner phone to mine and can only be used to call my number, so you don't have to worry about getting tempted to do anything else with it. But mainly I want you to have it so I can reach you even while you are at school or for you to be able to call me when you just need to talk." Roy told him, looking at the short teen with something akin to hope in his eyes. Ed bit his lower lip, really not sure if he should take the phone. However, he already had to disappoint his friend once today, if it would make him happy for the younger youth to take the phone, then he supposed it wouldn't hurt him. So he nodded.

"I will; thank you. Though I can't promise you I will actually call you. I'm not one for talking on the phone," he warned him while taking the phone and storing it securely in the inner pocket of his jacket.

"That's ok. I just want you to have it just in case. And I for one can definitely say that I'm going to call you. Just because you are back at school doesn't mean that we should stop seeing each other, even if it's only as friends." Roy grinned and there was a definite challenge in his eyes. Did he think that Ed would try to talk him out of that? Well, if he did then the blond would have to disappoint him. He had never intended to completely cut their contact. However, there was one thing that would become a problem.

"Sure, that's cool with me. If you find a way around our school rules I'm all for it." He answered him, an amused grin of his own on his lips. The black-haired man just lifted an eyebrow at him in question.

"We are not allowed to leave the school-grounds, nor is anyone allowed to visit us other than our official guardians. Our school even has protected gates and a high fence to keep us in and anyone else out." The blond elaborated, seeing the older youth chew that over. "I mean, I could slip out without any problems – these fences are nothing more than child's-play as long as one knows which kind of alchemy to use. But I would actually rather not try it like that. I still have quite a lot of detention to work off from whatever I did before the winter break."

He could see the amusement over the last announcement in the other's eyes, even while he still tried to find a solution for it. After a few minutes he seemed to give up.

"Never mind for now then. I will find a way and I'll let you know once I have. As long as that's ok with you," Roy said at last. Ed just shrugged.

"Like I said – if you find a way, I'm all for it. It's not really all that thrilling to be locked up all the time. And while George and I have definite ways to amuse ourselves – and no, I didn't mean that sexually – there is only so much you can do, even if you disrespect most of the rules." He told him, earning himself a laugh from the older youth.

"Ok, it's settled then. I'll let you know once I have found a way. As for now, I think it might be time that I take you back home." Roy suggested, receiving a nod from the shorter teen in answer while said youth drained the last of his wine.

"Ok. Let's go then."

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Hehehe, I know, some of you actually have been waiting for this to happen XD Others want to Ed to stay with Roy and prolly won't like that as much, but I'm still surprised to see that most root for Greed in here ^_^ (I'm actually too, so I really can't say anything XD) We'll all get what we want later on, so I just consider this a lead-up :P  
I hope you all had fun reading :D


	10. Chapter 11

_**Lovely Rebel**_  
_**Rating:**_ M  
_**Pairing(s)/Threesome:**_ Ed/Greed, later there will be Ed/Roy which will finally lead up to Ed/Greed/Roy. Oh, and I even managed to squeeze in past Roy/Ed XD There are also hints at past Al/Winry  
_**Warnings:**_ angst, sap, AT, lemons, Ed's mouth, humor, trying to sound as if I understand alchemy XD  
_**Word Count Chapter:**_ 3.181  
_**Word Count FF posted to date:**_ 41.556  
_**Summary:**_ Ed's brother puts him on a boarding school after having had to deal with him one time too often.  
_**Thanks:**_ To anime_gal22 and lectawindwalker for the amazing Beta jobs they did on this! *hugs them both*  
_**Author's Note:**_ We're slowly but steadily coming to my favorite part of this *evil laughter* Enjoy! :D

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_**Lovely Rebel – Chapter 11**_

As Ed opened the door to his and Greed's dorm room the next day, the taller teen was already there, laying on his bed and waiting for him, making the blond grin when he saw. He closed the door after himself and put his suitcase down. Then he slipped out of his coat, throwing it on his own bed, feeling the insignificant, but somewhat heavy weight of the small cell phone in one of the pockets leave him.

Walking slowly over to his lover's bed, he kneeled down on the edge with one knee, leaning down so that his arms were bracing him right beside the black-haired teen's head, looking deeply into those green eyes that were watching his every move.

"I missed you," he told the other softly before leaning down to capture the lips below his with his own, letting his eyes glide shut once he felt the other's arms around him and pulling him close, letting himself settle down on his lover's body, one hand buried in the short hair and the other holding his beloved's cheek.

And while he still felt some residential guilt about his realization the day before, he could feel that this was where he belonged, that this was where he wanted to be.

~*~*~H~*~*~

The next few days were mainly spent catching up between them. The only time they _really_ left the bed was when they had classes or had to make use of the bathroom. Otherwise, even when they were reading or studying, they were always curled up together on one of the beds. They had taken to making use of both of the beds early on in their relationship, not really bothering on which of the two they laid as long as they were on it together, so it didn't bother either of them that most of Ed's stuff was still sitting on his bed. The suitcase was open and some clothes had found their way in his dresser, but mostly they used it to put down their stuff right now.

This was why it wasn't a surprise that a few days later, when they were just about to distract each other from their homework, the sound of a phone ringing caused them to freeze in their motions. Ed hadn't really thought of the cell phone Roy had given him ever since coming back here, nor had he told Greed about it yet. So it came as quite the shock to suddenly hear it ring.

Sitting up, he looked over to his bed, where the coat which he had worn on Sunday, still laid where he had left when he came in. If he looked really closely, he could see some part of it vibrating slightly, indicating where the phone was stored.

Throwing an arm over his eyes, he let himself fall back down on the bed, feeling the hard cover of a book dig into his head and grimace slightly. He knew he should get up and answer the call, but he really felt that he should talk to Greed about it before he did anything like that.

"Ed?" his lover asked, apparently sensing that something was wrong. Pushing his own arm to the side he opened his eyes again and saw that the green-eyed teen had pushed himself up on one arm and was looking down at him now.

"I'm sorry, I totally forgot. I didn't mean to not tell you," the blond said, chagrined. Seeing the lifted eyebrow the other was giving him, he elaborated. "Roy took me out on Saturday, seeing that I had to leave the next day. He told me that he likes me as more than a friend and suggested that we date. I, of course, told him then that I'm already in a happy relationship and he seemed to be ok with that. But he also asked me if I would accept to carry this cell phone that he gave me so that we could stay in contact. And seeing that I already had to turn him down once that night I thought it wouldn't do any harm to take it with me. I just… completely forgot about the fact that I had it," he told his older lover, seeing him shake his head with – and the golden-eyed teen was really relieved to see that – a grin on his face.

"Only you, Ed," he murmured, shaking his head some more. "I kind of thought that it must be something like that when it started to ring. I know you wouldn't have gotten one for yourself just because. And as much as I would like to say I'm surprised about him telling you that he likes you… well, we both knew it might happen." His tone was dry, though the blond thought he might have detected a slight sad undertone to it. He pondered about that. Why would Greed be sad about the fact that Roy would like to have a relationship with him? It wasn't like he would actually go through with it…

"Well, yeah. It still felt bad that I had to turn him down, but no matter how much I like him, I still love you. There is no way I'm going to leave you just to be with him," he told his lover firmly, feeling the need to reaffirm his feelings, receiving a gentle smile in return. Remembering something else, he thought that now was probably a good moment to bring it up. "However, I probably should tell you that he is searching for a way so that we can meet up once in a while even while I'm here. I mean, I doubt he will actually find a way around the rules, but I have got to admit that he can be a crafty bastard if he wants to be. So if he calls one day and tells me that he has found a way and asks me to meet him… I want you to know that we would only meet each other as friends." His expression was entirely serious, wanting to make George understand that no matter what, he would stay with him and not leave him for Roy.

Greed just leaned down to kiss him then, his touch demanding… _something_. And Ed thought that he understood. His taller lover wasn't good with words when it came to his emotions – he was better at letting his actions show what he was feeling. So he decided that it might be a good idea to confirm once more to the green-eyed teen that he was his, just as much as the blond belonged to him.

~*~*~H~*~*~

Later, Ed had sent Roy a message, telling him that had missed his call and that he could try again whenever he thought it would be best. It didn't take him even half an hour before the cell rang again. This time the blond answered the phone.

"Hey. Sorry about that. But I hadn't told George about this yet when you called this afternoon," he apologized, his tone softly. The green-eyed teen was still sleeping from their… exercises.

"That's ok. I just wanted to call because I was bored anyway. While I really don't mind doing these inspections, they leave me with much too much free time. Especially now that we can't just meet up for a few hours." Roy reassured him.

"I take it you are still working on cheating our rules?" the golden-eyed teen teased, grinning slightly.

"You can say that. I have never seen a school with so rigorous rules before. Are you sure you aren't in prison?" the older youth teased back, making the shorter teen laugh once before he reminded himself to be quiet once again.

"Yeah, pretty sure. They actually aren't that bad in here. It's only the coming and going where they are that strict. You have to remember that many kids in here have a past of making more than just some harmless trouble. They probably want to avoid anyone sneaking in stuff that could do some serious damage," Ed explained.

"Ah. Well, I can definitely see the wisdom of that. Though it still feels a bit over the top for me." Roy agreed. "So what have you been doing these past few days? School keeping you busy?"

The blond realized with the last question that the older youth must have gotten that his unwillingness to talk about school had to do with him not wanting to tell the black-eyed man about George. Since the first time he had tried to talk about it with the younger of the two, he had dropped the subject. That he was bringing it up again now showed that he also was willing to hear about Ed's lover. Leaning back on his bed after he had made sure there was nothing behind him that would be harmed, he grinned.

"Nah, it's not too bad. George and I are still bored to death in most classes. But we keep busy otherwise, so I guess that's ok." He told his friend, idly playing with some strands of his hair, still wet from the shower that he had taken after Greed had already fallen asleep. "And with you? Other than your oh-so-exciting inspections, did anything new happen?" he asked back, trying to fall into one of their usual comfortable conversations. It was weird, how just being on the phone could change the whole quality of talking to someone for him.

"No, nothing special. I was in the firm your brother works yesterday, and it seems like his girlfriend keeps him up quite late. I have heard that some women can get quite demanding while pregnant, but he looked like death warmed over. Is it really that bad?" The older of the two inquired, obviously slightly in awe about the whole thing. Ed had to muffle another laugh that wanted to escape him.

"Well, I don't know if other women get as bad as her, but Selene definitely keeps Max busy. One night, when she slept at our house, she woke him up at midnight, wanting some special dish only a good acquaintance of ours can make just the way she likes it. He had to call him and make the instructions via phone, realizing halfway through that he was missing some important ingredient and sent me out to one of the 24/7 stores to get it. After he finally finished and everything was prepared it was after two am. And then, of course, Selene didn't want it anymore, going as far as claiming that the smell made her nauseous and that he should get rid of it. Really, if I hadn't known that he loves her before, I would have known then. I probably would have screamed or something. But he just nodded and told her that he would do that and asked her if she wanted something else." Roy was laughing really hard now, making the blond grin even wider. It felt good to hear his friend laugh like that.

"Ok, that sounds really bad. It makes me realize that I'm probably quite lucky that my preferences lay on our own side of the fence. Makes sure that I will never have to deal with stuff like that." He joked and the golden-eyed teen laughed with him, though he had become guarded now. It wasn't like he had a problem talking with the older youth about stuff like that, but it was still somewhat… difficult. Not even a week ago the black-eyed man had admitted to liking him as more than a friend. It felt… wrong to talk to him now about their distinctive preferences. As if he would lead him on somehow, even though he was pretty sure that he wasn't. After all, now with the topic of him having a lover out on the table, they didn't make a secret out of it.

They talked for a while longer, but Ed could feel that something about their conversation was… off. It wasn't as fluid as it usually was while they talked. And he wasn't sure if it was only because they had been on the phone.

After they disconnected the call, the blond just laid on his bed, thinking about what had been so different, not liking the sudden change.

"You sound happy when you talk to him." Came a soft voice from the other side of the room, making him look up and at his lover, who still laid with his back towards him on the bed. Probably feeling the eyes on his back now, Greed turned around, his own, green eyes, thoughtful. The younger teen frowned.

"What do you mean by that? I'm just as happy when I'm talking to you." He insisted, not even realizing that he had subconsciously put the both of them on the same step, placing them both together in his heart. But while he himself didn't notice – the older of the two of them did.

"I'm just saying that he seems to be good for you. We rarely talk about such carefree topics anymore." He simply stated, trying to hide the hurt that he was feeling. It wasn't logical to feel hurt just because Ed was getting along with one of his friends really well. But since when have feelings ever been logical?

The blond, apparently seeing something in his expression or eyes that made him realize what he was really saying, seemed to be getting angry for an instant. Then however, before he could even mutter one word, his whole demeanor changed again and his gaze got gentle.

"Idiot," he said, standing up to go come over to their bed again, leaving the phone where it was on the covers of his own. "Just because I get along with him doesn't mean that I want to _be_ with him," he reassured his lover, leaning down to once more kiss the green-eyed teen.

It was long before either of them slept that day.

~*~*~H~*~*~

In the days after that, life went back to the usual. They tried to liven up some of their classes, wrote tests, got detention, served detention, made more trouble, spent time together, studied alchemy… all of the stuff that they connected with 'normal' by now.

The weekend came and passed, with them mostly spending their time outdoors. It was still cold enough for the snow to settle on the ground and not turn into mud, so they thought they should make use of the good weather.

On Sunday, Roy called again. Greed had not been in their room when Ed answered the call, and somehow it made the blond feel better about it. He didn't have anything to keep from the green-eyed teen, but it was still weird to know he had been listening in the last time. Not to say that he really didn't want him to get the wrong idea. With him not in the room listening to them talk; the short teen could at least be assured that his lover wouldn't think he was leaving him because of some insane idea that he would be happier with Roy.

This time, the older youth told him that he actually had found a way for them to meet, causing the golden-eyed teen blink in surprise. He really hadn't thought that his friend would be successful with that.

"How did you do it?" he asked, his curiosity nearly eating at him. The black-haired man just laughed.

"I'll tell you once we meet. I can't tell you yet when that will be, but I will call you again once I know for sure and not just pop up on your doorstep." The younger of the two of them could clearly hear the grin in the messy-haired man's voice and he laughed with him.

"Good to know," he answered, finding himself smiling at the thought of seeing his friend again.

"Will your boyfriend be okay with this?" Roy asked suddenly and Ed sat up, frowning. "Why do you ask that?" he inquired.

"Well, I can only talk for myself, but if I were in his place I would at least feel somewhat uncomfortable knowing that my lover went out with someone who told him before that he is interested. Even though I would trust them. I just don't want you to risk your relationship if you're happy with him by meeting with me and making him feel like there is something wrong." the older youth reasoned.

That made the blond think about the conversation he had had with Greed about this. Was his lover okay with this? He had never said so, Ed had only assumed…

"I'll ask him before you call with the time," he promised his friend, still mulling the topic over in his head and not long after that they hung up.

However, the golden-eyed teen couldn't help but think about it some more. The day he had told his lover about the eventuality of Roy meeting with him, he had never said that it didn't bother him, he had just kissed him and they had had sex. And thinking about how Greed had reacted when he had only heard them talk together on the phone…

Clearly, he was not ok with it, the blond realized. But he wouldn't say anything because he didn't want Ed to be sad, so he just didn't say anything and trusted his lover to make the right decisions.

'He only ever says that he wants me to be happy, no matter what it takes. If he really thinks that meeting with Roy would make me happy, he wouldn't say anything, even if it would hurt him,' he reasoned, realizing for the first time how much he had been fixated on his own dilemma of his feelings splitting between the two taller teens. So much so that he had completely started to ignore his boyfriend's needs.

'I have even tried to reason with him why I accepted the phone, making it sound like it was his fault that I had to deny Roy the chance of dating me.'

With that, the blond felt really awful about it all. How could he have so totally misread the green-eyed teen all this time? They were supposed to be the only ones that understood each other!

Ed decided then and there that he wouldn't meet with Roy, no matter what Greed was going to say. It was time that he concentrated his whole focus back to where it belonged.

Later, when George came back to their room, the golden-eyed teen told him that the older youth had called him again to tell him that he had found a way for them to meet, but that he wasn't going to take him up on that. The taller teen was confused about it, but he wasn't going to question his good fortune. Maybe now he would finally be able to really sleep again, without the feelings of panic and dread that he had had lately, fearing that when he would wake up again, Ed would be gone.

* * *

Chaper 12 next… and at least for me, it's one of my favorite chapters, even though I know a lot of you will want to kill me XD I'll try to have it ready for you on time this time ^^;;


	11. Chapter 12

Yeah, I know... it's still a bit early XD BUT... I was bored and hey, at least by _my_ clock it is already Sunday . XD Not that I've managed to keep the posting schedule straight lately . But I doubt there is anyone who's going to complain XD

_**Lovely Rebel**_  
_**Rating:**_ M  
_**Pairing(s)/Threesome:**_ Ed/Greed, later there will be Ed/Roy which will finally lead up to Ed/Greed/Roy. Oh, and I even managed to squeeze in past Roy/Ed XD There are also hints at past Al/Winry  
_**Warnings:**_ angst, sap, AT, lemons, Ed's mouth, humor, trying to sound as if I understand alchemy XD  
_**Word Count Chapter:**_ 2.436  
_**Word Count FF posted to date:**_ 43.992  
_**Summary:**_ Ed's brother puts him on a boarding school after having had to deal with him one time too often.  
_**Thanks:**_ To anime_gal22 and lectawindwalker for the amazing Beta jobs they did on this! *hugs them both*  
_**Author's Note:**_ Ok, just so you know, this chapter is a bit shorter than usual. But then, I didn't want to make it any longer since I think the effect comes across better like that . Also, there will be a little extra after the chapter - one of my beta's (Lecta^^) reaction to this chapter . XDDD

* * *

_**Lovely Rebel – Chapter 12**_

Two days had passed since their discussion and while the blond had told him that he wasn't going to go and meet the black-eyed man, the older of the two could see that he wanted to. He could see more than that, in fact. And as much as he didn't want to see it, it wasn't something that he could just ignore.

"You should go see him again," Greed told the blond softly as he watched Ed look at the cell phone Roy had given him for the fifth time in ten minutes. Jerking his head around, his lover looked at him with wide, unbelieving eyes. Sighing inwardly for what he was about to do, the taller teen got up and sat down beside the golden-eyed one, laying one hand on his shoulder.

"We both knew that this day may come," he continued just as gently as before. "I knew that I might lose you to your past the moment we started to get those flashes. I can see that you want to be with him, and that you're torn between your feelings, Ed."

Closing his eyes to hide the storm of emotion that was raging inside him, Edward shook his head, denying what the green-eyed youth was telling him. Unperturbed, Greed continued.

"We have been together for months now; I can see that this is hurting you. Do you really think that I want this? Ed, I love you. I told you this multiple times before, but I want you to know that it's true. I love you and if I had the choice, I would want nothing more than to keep you for myself." He had taken hold of the blond's chin, turning his face around to look at him better, seeing the tightly closed eyes that gleamed slightly at the edges, signs of too much fluid. Sign of tears.

"Open your eyes, Ed," the taller teen requested, though his voice didn't allow any discrepancy. Slowly, the lids opened again, showing the torn golden orbs behind them.

"I've known that all the time that we have been together, you have been missing something. And while I had wished for it to change with time, I now realize that I never had a chance. You are not meant to be with me, you are meant to be with _him_. It had been like this in the past, and the past is repeating itself. The last time you never had to make this choice, since I died before anything could start between us, but since I'm still alive this time, you'll have to make it now. I love you enough to realize that, which is why I decided to make this easy on you. You need to go be with him Edward. It's what your heart is telling you, I know it."

His own voice couldn't hide the pain he felt, but he tried as best as he could to not let it show completely, hoping against hope that his lover would be too occupied with his own dilemma to notice. He didn't want to let go of Ed. Just the thought of it tore him apart from the inside. But he could also see that if he didn't let him go, their relationship wouldn't survive. The blond's heart yearned after Roy, just like it always had. These two were meant to be together, no matter in what life they met. Standing between them would be cruel. And he didn't want the person who was the most important to him to suffer. Sooner would he want to die again than to be the reason of his lover's pain. Like this, he hoped, they might be able to save their friendship at least.

"I don't want it to be like this. I never wanted it to be like this," Edward replied at last, giving in, his voice barely more than a whisper and heavy with unshed tears. George had only seen his lover cry once – the day of the anniversary of his parents' death. Since then it hadn't happened once. He might be sometimes overrun by his emotions, but there wouldn't be any tears. That there were some shimmering in those eyes Greed loved so much now spoke volumes about how much this hurt the blond.

"I know." He told him. Pulling the shorter teen in his embrace, he buried his face in the silken hair, feeling him wrap his arms around his torso in return and holding on tightly. For a minute they just sat like this, the younger of them shaking slightly in the green-eyed teen's arms. Then, suddenly, Ed pulled back, hitting his fist against the chest before him, still not looking up, his face cast downwards.

"Why, damnit, _WHY_? Why does it have to be like this? I love you! Do you hear me? I _love_ you damnit! I don't want to leave you!" he cried out, hitting him with his fist multiple times before finally breaking down into sobs. Greed didn't say anything, just pulling him back tightly against him.

"I know." He repeated, his own voice barely audible. And that was what it came down to. He knew. He knew from the start that there might be problems, even though he had hoped that whatever came their way, they would be able to work it out. But there was no solution for this mess. He knew Ed loved him – he never doubted that – but he also knew that with him, the blond would never be truly happy. There was no way he was going to refuse him the happiness he so deserved.

Realizing that his lover wouldn't calm down anytime soon, the taller teen laid them down on the bed, never loosening his embrace, holding his beloved close and letting him cry. After a long while he felt the tears and sobs slowly cease, leaving them in a nearly oppressing silence. Only their ragged breaths spoke of the emotions that were still running high.

They lay like that for a long while – Greed didn't know if it was only minutes or hours – when they both suddenly heard the cell phone ring, making them jerk up. Seeing the stubborn way Ed refused to look at it, the black-haired teen sighed. Sitting up he grabbed the phone from the blond's desk, holding it before his face.

"Go. Go meet him. I know you will feel better once you do. Maybe you'll continue to hurt for a while, but it's better than the alternative," he told him, standing up and leaving the ringing cell phone lying in front of Ed's face. The shorter youth's eyes were still filled with pain as he looked after him, still refusing to take the phone, but also not stopping his lover from getting away.

"I don't want to lose you," he whispered at last, nearly breaking Greed's heart with it. Turning around once more he kneeled down beside the bed and caressed the blond's cheek with one hand, before laying his forehead against the golden-eyed teen's.

"You won't lose me, I will always be here. I will always be there for you, always loving you," he assured him, though it sounded more like a confession. And when one got right down to it, it really was what this was, wasn't it? He would never be able to stop loving Ed, no matter what would happen.

Giving his soon to be ex-lover one last smile and a parting, chaste and loving kiss, he stood back up again, leaving the room. He needed some space right now. Not to say that he really didn't wanted to be in the room when the blond talked to _him_. It wasn't as if he held this against Roy – it wasn't anymore his fault than it was Edward's after all – but he couldn't help but feel resigned towards the older youth. He envied him for what he would get, the one thing that he had ever wished for himself.

The one person who could ever understand him.

The one person who ever _wanted_ to understand him.

The one person he had ever wanted to love and spend his life with.

The one person who possessed his heart.

~*~*~H~*~*~

It was really happening. His heart was screaming at him that he wasn't saying anything, that he wasn't _doing_ anything to prevent this from happening, but… what was he to do? Greed was right; they had known this day might come. They had never really talked about it, but deep inside of themselves, they had known. There had been too many indicators that history was repeating itself, too many signs – as much as he hated to admit it – that showed that his future was already laid out for him by destiny.

What disgusted him the most, however, wasn't even the fact that it was apparently no use to fight his fate. It was the fact that he accepted it like this. There was a part inside him that wanted to fight for his green-eyed lover, wanted to stay with him and never let go.

But there was also a part that pulled him towards Roy, which wanted to scream and dance in ecstasy over the fact that now they, finally, could be together again.

Feeling both of these parts of his heart fighting… it was trying, maddening. It was as if he couldn't settle for one, but no-matter what would happen, his heart would always cherish both.

He didn't know how to feel about that. In the past, he only had had one lover – he knew that much. Why was it like this now? Why had he fallen in love with Greed when destiny clearly wanted him to be with Roy again? Or was what his ex-lover had said really true? That he only didn't have to make this decision last time because it was his fate to kill the green-eyed teen, man then? He didn't know.

The phone was still ringing, and Ed knew that by now, Roy must be wondering what took him so long to answer the call. Some part of him still didn't want himself to answer the phone, wanted to deny his fate, wanted to be stubborn. But he knew after today that no matter what happened, you couldn't run away from what was planned out for you by whatever power ruled the universe. Be it the gate, a god, or simply the flow of time.

Sighing, the blond took the small cell phone in his hand, lifting it to his ear. Remembering his talk with the black-haired man only a bit over a week ago made him smile sadly. He had a promise to keep.

"Hey.,." he answered, knowing that his voice sounded rough from crying and bleeding emotions.

"Ed? Did something happen?" the other caught on to it instantly, becoming worried. Even though the golden-eyed teen didn't want to, he smiled slightly at that. It was always nice to know that people cared for you, but especially nice when these people were important to you.

"Something like that. You said you would call when you would know the time for a meet-up? Well, why don't we make a date out of it?" he offered, feeling a bit sick as he said it, but also knowing that he wanted this.

There was a silence for a few seconds before the older youth spoke again.

"Are you sure?" his voice was soft, and it was obvious that while this was something he wanted – Ed knew that – that he was concerned about his friend.

"Yeah. George and I broke up with each other. I promised you that I would tell you if it would happen, so… there is no reason for us not to date now," his own voice had gone slightly bitter, at the same time as he was feeling giddy. How could that be? How could he feel so controversy at the same time? It was making him sick…

"What? But I thought-" the black-haired man started, sounding alarmed, but the blond didn't let him finish. "Let's not talk about it, ok? I really don't feel like it right now. Let's just schedule our first real date," he told the taller youth, putting an emphasis in his voice that should make it clear to the other that he wasn't prepared to talk about this. There was the sound of a soft sigh, but as Roy spoke again, Ed knew he would honor his wish.

"Ok. I have to tell the headmaster in advance whenever I plan on taking you off the school-grounds, even though I'll be free to come whenever I want. I had planned on just coming over tonight, but this changes my plans. For our first date I really want to take you out. Is that ok with you? I could manage that as soon as tomorrow."

The black-haired man's voice had taken on the tone he used for business, and the shorter youth was grateful for that. It was as if Roy knew that he needed facts right now, nothing to think about.

"That's fine by me. I really don't think I would be up for it tonight, but I should be ok by tomorrow," he admitted, giving his friend at least some clue of his condition. The black-eyed man made a soothing and understanding sound.

"I certainly can understand that. I also don't think it would be right to take you out on a first date the day you two broke up. By the way you are talking, I gather you are still his friend – and that would be no way to honor a past relationship." Roy's voice had been soft and Ed couldn't help the wish to cry again. Why were they both so understanding of him? Why couldn't they just hate him, accuse him of not being able to settle for one of them? He hated himself right now, why couldn't they?

He forced a small smile onto his lips as he answered, knowing the other would hear it.

"Yeah, thanks," he paused. "Is there… anything special I should wear tomorrow?" he asked then, trying to change the topic.

They finalized their plans for the next evening, Roy's voice never changing from its guiding, soothing tone. It was as if Ed was a puppet, spun out of the finest porcelain, which needed to be protected. And while the blond would have usually protested against such treatment vehemently and with all he had… he felt grateful for it now.

Because, within him, he felt that as if his heart really was near the breaking point.

* * *

And now, as promised above, a little extra of how one of my beta's reacted as she first read this chapter XD We were chatting at the time and I didn't know she was also beta-ing on the side, so I was a bit surprised by her outburst XD (oh, and Heero is my nick-name ~.^ We use the names Heero and Duo for each other (from Gundam Wing^^))

Lecta: Oh, fuck you heero! YOU'RE BREAKING THEM UP?  
Bloody: O_o  
Lecta: DDDDDDDDDDDDD=  
Bloody: oh, you're betaing XD  
Lecta: *cries quietly in a corner*  
Bloody: *laughs* sorry, I was just really 'whut O_o' XD  
Bloody: *huggles you*  
Bloody: it's not forever  
Lecta: I know but still  
Lecta: Greed is being waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy to noble  
Bloody: not necessarily  
Bloody: he loves Ed  
Lecta: I'd be like "ROY BITCH MUSTANG BACK THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY BOYFRIEND"

And this was at the end of it was I got it back from her XDDD:

_=_

_WHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?_

_ED STOP BEING STUPID. YOU GET ROY AND GREED TOGETHER IN A ROOM RIGHT NOW AND TELL THEM FLAT OUT THAT YOU WANT TO FUCK BOTH OF THEM AND THAT "NO" IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE ANSWER!_

_SWEET BABY JESUS! These boys are exhausting…._

So, that was it^^ I hope this gave you all at least some amusement after this chapter^^ *hugs you all*  
See you next chapter! :D


	12. Chapter 13

_**Lovely Rebel**_  
_**Rating:**_ M  
_**Pairing(s)/Threesome:**_ Ed/Greed, later there will be Ed/Roy which will finally lead up to Ed/Greed/Roy. Oh, and I even managed to squeeze in past Roy/Ed XD There are also hints at past Al/Winry  
_**Warnings:**_ angst, sap, AT, lemons, Ed's mouth, humor, trying to sound as if I understand alchemy XD  
_**Word Count Chapter:**_ 3.565  
_**Word Count FF posted to date:**_ 47.557  
_**Summary:**_ Ed's brother puts him on a boarding school after having had to deal with him one time too often.  
_**Thanks:**_ To anime_gal22 and lectawindwalker for the amazing Beta jobs they did on this! *hugs them both*  
_**Author's Note:**_ Not much to say this time other than that I'm sorry I didn't warn you about the last chapter maybe being a bit tear-provoking ^^;; However, I still think it would have spoiled things :P

* * *

_**Lovely Rebel – Chapter 13**_

Greed had come back sometime later, quiet and obviously deep in his thoughts. He had given Ed a small smile, but he had also made it clear that he wanted to go to bed soon. The blond certainly could understand that.

However, it brutally drove home the fact that this would be the first night that they would sleep separately in their dorm room beds ever since the day he broke down. Right now he felt like nothing more than cuddling up close to the green-eyed teen, holding him close while being held in return. And – he didn't have the right for that anymore.

They tried to avoid eye-contact as much as possible, knowing that they both weren't strong enough yet. Not strong enough to not break down, to not give in to their needs. They needed to build back up some of the walls that protected their feelings. And even while Ed knew it was better for the both of them if they did that… his heart cried for his ex-lover. He knew how hard it had been for him to open up to the shorter of them, how much this all had meant to him. How could he be so cruel and rip that all away from him again? True, Roy hadn't had the perfect childhood either, but he had always had people that loved him. Greed – hadn't. The golden-eyed teen had been the first to get really close to him, to love him, to cherish him. To show him that he was worth more than just some thrown away piece of meat.

Feeling the tears well up behind his eye-lids again, he turned around.

"Greed-" he started, but the other was there to stop him before he could do or say anything that would make this even worse than it already was. "Don't. I know why I did this and I'm ok with it. Please let's just forget about it for now," the green-eyed teen answered, his voice more distant than it had been only a few hours ago. That was the last straw for the blond.

"You want me to be indifferent about this? How? I can see how much you are hurting, I can _feel_ it! You can't force me to just drop my feelings for you, it won't work. How am I supposed to be happy when I can see how much pain you are in?" he asked him, nearly shouting, his voice desperate. His body was trembling, but he paid it no mind. All his focus was on the teen across the room, still standing with his back towards him. He could see that the back was stiffer than usual, that the muscles were spun so tight that it was a surprise the taller teen could even stand without hurting himself.

When the short-haired teen finally spoke again, his voice was soft, nearly too quiet for Ed to hear.

"I never expected you to just drop me and go on with your life. But Ed, you must understand that it won't do either of us any good when you tell me how sorry you are or when you tell me how much you wish you could change things. Our fates have been decided, and no matter what will come now, the outcome will be the same for me. Dwelling on this will hurt me more than if we just drop it. I can't stop my feelings for you; not anymore than you can, but let me handle them myself. I have had more than one opportunity in the past to perfect my technique."

The blond could sense that his ex-lover hadn't wanted the last to slip out and the flinch that went through the strong frame only confirmed that. Greed didn't want Ed to think that he was hurting him the same way as he had been hurt in the past, but it was still there, even if he hadn't heard the slight bitter edge to his voice at the end.

Resisting the urge to go to him and take his friend into his arms, Ed fisted his hands and left them trembling at his sides while looking at his feet, knowing that George was right. At long last he swallowed and looked up again, noticing that the other hadn't moved one bit.

"I know that you are right. But that doesn't change the fact that I still wish to help you. I'm still your friend too, you know. That won't change," he told him, his own voice nothing more than a whisper.

That finally got a reaction out of the taller teen. Turning his head to look over his shoulder towards the blond, he gave him a small smile and a nod. The smile was sad and full of pain, but it was genuine. "I know. Thank you." Greed answered before changing into a light shirt and only his boxers to sleep. It was still early – certainly a lot earlier than they usually slept – but it had been a very emotionally straining day for them both.

Ed stood there for a few moments longer, until he finally managed to move as well, clearing his bed from the last of its residue clutter and changing into sleeping-clothes. They both hadn't worn more than sometimes a pair of boxer shorts while sleeping for a long time now. Their shared body heat had kept them warm enough, no matter how chilled their room got.

Having to put on a shirt now only drove the fact home that this would be a long, lonely night once again.

~*~*~H~*~*~

The next day went somewhat better, even though there was still a very obvious depression that lay in the air. But both teens tried to ignore it, tried to go back to how things had been before they ever got together. Their attempts at jokes or teasing were weak at best, but they were there. Also, while it was obvious that neither of them had slept all that well, neither of them commented on it. It was just another fact they had to deal with.

Classes went by even slower than usual, and Ed could feel the looks they got. Ever since he had come here, it was clear from the start that he and the taller teen were a match made in heaven – or rather in hell, as the teachers said. He had no illusions that their classmates had their own suspicions about what was going on. Most of them would be total bullshit, but he really didn't feel like dealing with gossip right now.

On their way back to their room, he suddenly had the urge to just run away. To spend the afternoon outside, away from the green-eyed teen. That urge lasted as long as it took him to realize how much that would only make things worse. If they started now to try and avoid each other, their friendship would break, just as much as their relationship was no more. And wasn't it him who had said yesterday evening that no matter what, he would still stay Greed's friend? To run away now, to avoid him now, would only make a liar out of him. The blond didn't have a problem with being called that, but he didn't want to be one to his friends.

So it came that they were both in their room as usual, alchemy books opened before them and an eerie silence between them, which made the golden-eyed teen edgy. He managed to hold out the first half hour, and another, and another.

After two hours had passed he had had enough.

Closing his book with enough strength to make a banging sound, he sat up.

"Ok, that's it. I have had enough," he exclaimed, gathering his notes, pen and books and stood up, noticing the other's confused gaze on him. With purpose in his steps he crossed the room and let himself fall back down on his friend's bed.

"Ed?" Greed asked, his voice somewhat hesitant.

"I refuse to let this happen to us. We have always been friends, even before we got together. I refuse to let our hurt feelings drive a rift between the two of us," the blond explained while sorting his notes around him in a way so that he could make sense out of them once more. His voice was calm, but determined. He wouldn't budge on this.

The taller teen blinked at him for a second, then another one of these small smiles came to his lips and he moved slightly himself, arranging them like they usually sat before everything had gone to hell.

"You are right," he admitted while leaning back against the wall behind his bed again and taking his book once more, giving the other one last glance before looking down again. "Thank you."

_Thank you for reminding me._ It wasn't said, but Ed could hear it just as clearly. With a nod and a slightly more relaxed stance, he went back to his book himself.

This time the silence, while not as comfortable as they were used to it, wasn't as bad as before.

~*~*~H~*~*~

Roy had told Ed that he was going to get him from his dorm room and that he should be ready to go once he showed up around 7 pm. So the blond had showered and put on slightly better clothes before then, feeling weird while he was doing so. He and Greed had never really 'dated', so neither of them had been required to change into good clothes or something like that. To do it now felt… weird.

The short-haired teen had watched him for a while, with this small, bittersweet smile on his lips, before he went back to his book. He was vibrating slightly, and for the shorter of the two of them at least it was clear that he wished he could flee the room, but he stood his ground and stayed. Apparently, the both of them really wanted to at least save their friendship. It was reassuring to know.

As Ed was used to from him, Roy showed up promptly 7 pm, knocking on the door of their door room and waiting to be let in. Putting on his shoes in a hurry and taking his coat to throw over his clothes, he threw a last smile at the older teen.

"See you later!" he told him before opening the door and letting himself out, closing it behind him before either of the black-haired youths could get a good look at the other. Maybe one day he would introduce them to the other, but for now he felt it was better if they had as little contact as possible.

Once the door was closed behind him, he looked at the slightly taller man, giving him a slight grin. He was still hurt, and to some part he felt like he was letting George down for actually going on a date the day after they broke off, but the green-eyed teen had even told him to do so. Moping around the whole evening wouldn't be fair to Roy.

"Hey," he greeted the black-eyed man, finally pulling on his coat. Then he looked at the other, not really knowing what he should do. For him and Greed it had always been easy, natural. They had been friends, and then they had kissed and gotten together. There never was any awkwardness about it.

With Roy…Ed felt that it was too early for them to be kissing already. He really felt that no matter how good it would be, he wouldn't be able to enjoy it. Maybe it would take him a few dates until he would get over that, but he had a feeling that the older youth understood.

However, that didn't help him now. What was he supposed to do? Not having dated before his ex-lover really left him at a disadvantage now.

The black-haired man, apparently sensing his dilemma, smiled and held out his hand for the shorter of the both of them to take.

"Hey," he answered, looking like he understood as well as slightly amused. "Ready to go?" he asked, squeezing the blond's hand once he had taken his, receiving a nod in answer. "I only have permission to steal you for a few hours and I need to have you safely checked back in before midnight. So I guess we shouldn't waste any time," he suggested. This time the long-haired teen looked nearly as amused as him. "Got it," he answered, following the taller man as he led them to the gates, got them checked out and drove them to a restaurant in the near-by town.

Once they were there and seated, Ed couldn't keep his curiosity in check anymore.

"How did you manage to get permission for me to leave school-grounds anyway?" he asked while studying the menu, looking up as Roy grinned.

"That was easier than I had thought it would be. It turned out that the headmaster was an old school-friend of my mother's that I have met a few times when she had still been alive. I found that out as I was looking at your school's page and thought the name sounded familiar. I looked it up and couldn't believe my good luck. I called him after that, playing the catch-up game with him for a while and then asked him if he would do me a favor. Since I knew that he had had a crush on my mother and had always been pretty fond of me, I knew he wouldn't deny me my wish. Though I could feel him chew over it for quite some time. You must have quite the reputation at that school," he explained, making the blond actually laugh out. Who would have thought!

"I do, actually. The teachers don't really like me much. I think some of them actually have named me 'spawn of the devil' or something like that," he told the older youth, making him laugh with him. After they had calmed down again, Roy braced his chin on his hand and smirked at his date.

"I can't really imagine all that. Whenever we go out, you are the perfect example for good manners. You can hold a perfectly civilized conversation and the way you use our language suggests that you have had a good education and learned how to use it in everyday life. What are you doing to make the teachers hate you so much?" he inquired. That actually was something he had been curious about for some time now. The blond only grinned at him again.

"You only see me like this because I have no reason to misbehave when I'm with you – I'm enjoying myself, I'm enjoying the company – why should I do anything to disrupt that? But at school… for the most part I'm bored to death and threatened to fall asleep, so I need to do something to keep me awake. And even if I'm actually 'good' as you call it, teachers don't like it when I know stuff better than they do. Something that happens way too often if you ask me, sadly enough," he explained, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes, making the black-eyed youth laugh again.

"Well, I think I'm beginning to understand what you mean," he teased the shorter one. Their waiter then came and they placed their orders, falling back into their typical conversation shortly after. And while there were moments when the blond felt as if he should be depressed, or feeling badly for his friend back in their dorm room… he found that his heart was torn about it. He was enjoying himself, he couldn't deny that. The way the both of them flirted only drove home the fact of what he had already known, that he had started to fall for the older youth. It felt… good. And while he couldn't help and feel as if it was undeserved and had occasional moments where some nausea threatened to overcome him, most of the time he really enjoyed his first date with Roy.

~*~*~H~*~*~

It got better after that first day. Greed and Ed had found their rhythm as 'only friends', and while there was still the occasional gazes or touches, they managed. They found that even as depressing as their situation seemed at times, they found things to laugh about. The teachers were near a nervous breakdown because of them just like before and their private studies, while not making quite the progress they would like them to, were going ok.

Roy managed to find time for dates with the blond at least two or three times a week. He didn't always take him out; sometimes they just stayed on the campus and walked through the park or watched a movie in the recreation area. It didn't matter to them – the point of dates was after all to have a fun time together. So just spending time together and talking was sometimes just what they wanted.

Greed and the older youth had been introduced by now, and while it was obvious that the green-eyed teen wasn't all that happy about meeting the man that had his ex-lover now, he couldn't deny that some part of him was relieved in knowing him now. He still couldn't say he _knew_ Roy, but he had a better picture of him now. It had only been a few minutes while Ed got ready for his date with the black-eyed man, but they exchanged words and a handshake. A lot of impressions could be made in so little time.

Nearly three weeks after their first date, Roy had called again and asked if the short teen would be interested in going to an aquarium. They had been to the movies, various restaurants and some shows, but with it still being winter, their possibilities were limited. Ed had been a bit stunned at first – he never thought an aquarium could be something interesting – but he had agreed at last, thinking that it didn't matter where they went after all.

He would never have thought that he would have so much fun. The older youth obviously had studied quite a bit of the sea-life as a hobby, and he worked out to be a good tour-guide. The soothing atmosphere from the water all around them, together with all the colorful fish and other sea-creatures that lived within it, provided them with the perfect background for some private conversation. It was dark enough that they felt comfortable holding hands – they didn't bother with what anyone said about them, but they didn't want their date interrupted – and it wasn't stressful at all. They could walk in whatever pace they wanted, stopping to look at something longer if they wanted to or just passing another part altogether. It was… relaxing. The golden-eyed teen still didn't think that fish would work out to be his favorite creatures ever, but he was sure to remember this date with fondness.

After they stepped out of the huge building, Ed squeezed the hand in his and smiled up at the black-haired man.

"Thanks for bringing me here. I have to admit, I had my doubts about this, but I liked it," he told him, receiving a smile in return.

"I'm glad," Roy replied, looking at the shorter teen with gentle warmth in his eyes. It was then, seeing that expression on his boyfriend's face, that the blond finally let the last of his walls that had kept them apart fall. Chewing on his bottom lip for a second, he looked the taller youth in the eyes while tugging the hand that was still holding his while wrapping his other arm around the black-eyed man's neck, pulling him down.

Roy didn't have to think about how he should react. He had waited for this opportunity for weeks now. Only the fact that he knew that his boyfriend was still hurt because of the break-up with his previous lover had provided him with the necessary will to give him time.

Leaning down and angling his head slightly, he closed the last distance between them, placing his lips on the ones of the shorter of them, his eyes sliding shut at the contact.

The kiss started out gentle, nearly chaste, but it didn't take them long to get over that. Roy's free hand buried itself in the blond hair, pulling Ed's face closer, and their mouths opened to deepen the kiss, bringing out their tongues to play with each other.

It wasn't exactly _hurried_, or _passionate_, but it was deep and spoke of a too long denied need. Feelings were pouring out of them and into the other and the connection, which had started to form from the day they had met, flared to life again.

When they finally broke it up again, they were both panting, looking at each other with the same expression on their faces, the same contentment. While Ed still felt as if this was _wrong_ with some part of him, he couldn't help his feelings. Greed had been right. This was where he was meant to be, this was whom he belonged with.

But even knowing that, he still couldn't squelch the feeling of sadness that welled up within him whenever he thought of his green-eyed friend.

* * *

And that was it again for this week^^ I hope you all enjoyed :D


	13. Chapter 14

_**Lovely Rebel**_  
_**Rating:**_ M  
_**Pairing(s)/Threesome:**_ Ed/Greed, later there will be Ed/Roy which will finally lead up to Ed/Greed/Roy. Oh, and I even managed to squeeze in past Roy/Ed XD There are also hints at past Al/Winry  
_**Warnings:**_ angst, sap, AT, lemons, Ed's mouth, humor, trying to sound as if I understand alchemy XD  
_**Word Count Chapter:**_ 3.022  
_**Word Count FF posted to date:**_ 50.579  
_**Summary:**_ Ed's brother puts him on a boarding school after having had to deal with him one time too often.  
_**Thanks:**_ To anime_gal22 and lectawindwalker for the amazing Beta jobs they did on this! *hugs them both*  
_**Author's Note:**_ I'm so sorry for taking longer again *hugs everyone who is still reading this* Also I might warn you all already that there are only two more chapters that I've prewritten in order (there are a few chapters later on, but it will be a bit until we get there…) and I haven't gotten around yet to write more (my muse + a lot of other writing projects getting in the way^^;;). With NaNoWriMo coming up next month I really don't know how frequent the updates will stay. I'm hoping I'll still manage reasonable timeframes, but I can't make any promises after the next two chapters ^^;;

* * *

_**Lovely Rebel – Chapter 14**_

It had been weeks, and still there was no improvement.

Roy was pacing up and down his office, the paperwork he was meant to complete long forgotten in favor of his favorite subject – Edward.

At first he thought it was natural, that the blond needed to get over his past lover and that it would take time. But it should get better with time.

The black-haired man raked one of his hands through his hair, messing it up. He was no virgin by a long shot – he had dated often and mostly to his enjoyment, even though it was only casual, and it wasn't unusual that a date had led to sex. And while he had never intended to do the same with Ed…

'There is something wrong. He never told me what happened between him and George, and he doesn't let the topic come up either. I don't think that there is still something between them – George's gaze had been proof enough for that. There had been resentment there. And sadness. He wouldn't look at me like that if he still had Ed. But what is it then?'

He couldn't come to a conclusion. The golden-eyed teen and he had been dating for five weeks now, but they had never done more than kiss and hold each other. Whenever he led the conversation in a direction that might suggest that they should go to the older youth's house, the shorter teen always found a way to evade going there. He never came directly out and said that he didn't want to go with Roy and make out or more, but it was clear that he wasn't ready for them to be alone in such an intimate setting. The black-haired man might have understood that if he thought his boyfriend was still a virgin, but he knew that he and George had had sex with each other for quite some time already. Also, he had been able to detect the scent of sex on the blond that one evening he had picked him up, even though it had taken him a while to actually realize that. Until Ed had told him he was in a relationship, Roy had still believed he was absolutely pure, and the thought that the younger youth might have had sex never entered his mind.

'So he has had sex before. He jokes, he hints. But he is definitely not ready for that level of intimacy. Why?'

He paced a few more times around the office, until he finally had an idea, which made him freeze in his steps, his eyes wide.

'Of course…!'

Suddenly, there was a flash of past scenes that re-played in his mind.

_…Ed telling him that he couldn't date him because he was in a relationship with someone he loves and couldn't see them ever breaking up…_

_…Ed jokingly telling him about something he and George had done…_

_…Ed growing quiet as the topic of them meeting might bother George came up…_

_…Ed telling him that George and he broke up with each other, his voice still full of tears…_

_…Ed's eyes full of sadness as he picked him up the night after that, even though he forced a smile…_

_…Ed avoiding any question that might lead to information about his best friend and ex-lover…_

_…Ed growing angry with him as he suspected that Roy thought there might still be something between them…_

_…George resenting him and watching with sad eyes as they went on their date…_

Hitting his forehead with the palm of his hand, he cursed himself. How could he have been so blind?

'The signs are all there, it's obvious really. I only didn't see it because I didn't want to see it,' he thought, letting himself fall down into his leather chair. His mood was growing downright miserable with the second.

He knew now what the problem was. Now he had to find a solution for it.

His eyes grew determined.

'I'll do whatever it takes. I'm not prepared to give him up again.'

~*~*~H~*~*~

Greed was lying on his bed when the knock on the door came. Confused as to who would come to their room, he got up to see. It wasn't often that he and Ed had visitors. Well, other than…

"Roy." The word had left the green-eyed teen's mouth before he could even think to say it. But there was no denying who stood before him.

"I'm sorry, Ed has detention tonight. He didn't tell me that you were coming over to see him," he told the older youth, trying to stay calm. While it had been over a month since he and Ed had more or less broke up with each other, it still hurt – a lot. And to be alone with the man, who had taken his beloved from him, even though it wasn't intentional, wasn't easy for him.

The slightly shorter youth shook his head.

"I'm sorry if you don't want to see me, but I actually came to speak with you," he told the short-haired teen, making him lift one eyebrow. Gesturing in the room behind Greed, Roy spoke again, "May I come in? What I wanted to talk to you about isn't really something I would like the whole world to know."

Shrugging once, the taller youth stepped to the side, letting the messy-haired teen in and closing the door behind him. Then he sat down on his bed again while he watched the other sit down on one of the chairs.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked. His curiosity was eating him, though he was still weary.

"Ed," Roy answered, making the green-eyed teen flinch.

"If you are worried that there is still something between us, I can tell you 'No' right away and spare you anymore questions. We broke off everything shortly after the winter break," Greed told him, his voice slightly bitter. He didn't regret his decision from back then – he still thought it was the right one – but that didn't help with the pain.

However, the older youth shook his head.

"I am not worried about that, I trust Ed when he tells me that he is faithful. What I wanted to talk to you about is… complicated. It's something I never thought I would actually consider, but after watching Ed these past few weeks I realized some things and I thought it best to speak with you about them first."

Now the short-haired teen was all ears.

"What is it?" he asked, growing worried. He had thought if anything would have happened, he would have known it. But the blond always had been a good actor if he wanted.

Looking everywhere but at him, Roy explained.

"Before he went back to school and I gave him the cell phone, he told me that he loved you and that he was already in a relationship with you, and that he therefore couldn't date me. I'm sure he told you about that." Greed nodded, confirming the assumption.

"I got him to agree to carry the phone with him so we could at least stay in contact. I already knew back then that he meant a lot to me, and I was able to tell that he wasn't indifferent about me either. It was more his confusion and his loyalty to you that kept him from agreeing, I could see that. However, I didn't mean to win him away from you as long as he was happy. Then, the first time I actually called to suggest we meet, he tells me that you two broke off and that he can date me now. I have to say, I was shocked to hear that. Previously I had thought from the talks I had with him that you two loved each other. I couldn't understand why you would break up so suddenly." The black-eyed man raked his fingers through his hair, a gesture that showed quite obviously that he wasn't really comfortable talking about this.

"I made the mistake of just taking it as good luck on my part and it didn't take me long to get ecstatic about it. While I worried about Ed being hurt, I was sure that I would manage to make him happy again." He smiled very sadly then and shook his head slightly.

"It took me a while and a few more dates to realize that something was off. During the winter break we had only seen each other as friends, but while there had been this underlying confusion in Ed, he still… _vibrated_. There was _life_ within him. Once we started to date, this seemed to… vanish." The messy-haired man was looking at his shoes now, his posture showing that he hurt somewhat himself. Greed still hadn't said anything since he had started to talk.

"I didn't know what was wrong. I tried to talk to him about it, but he always evaded these kinds of questions. Then, a while ago, I asked him about you." A humorless snort and another rake of his fingers through his hair.

"Even before I really could ask him anything, he got defensive. He told me that there was nothing between you two anymore and that I shouldn't worry." Roy then looked up again, looking at the other youth with an expression that showed his mixed emotions clearly.

"I tried to calm him down and told him that I wasn't thinking that he was cheating on me, but that I was just curious about you. You are his best friend after all, and until not all that long ago, you have been his lover. His voice as he answered me had gotten so… _cold_." There was desperation showing through now, though Greed didn't know what for. Not yet at least. He was pretty sure he was about to find out.

"He told me that it was you who broke up with him so that he could date me and be happy. And that no matter what I thought about it, you would always have a special place in his heart." Hearing that made the green-eyed teen's heart soar. It felt good to hear that Ed was defending him like this, to hear how much he still meant to the blond. But at the same time it also showed him that something was going wrong. Badly wrong.

"I realized then that he had never stopped loving you, and that you most likely were still feeling very deeply for him too. That I only got this chance because the two of you thought it would be better for him to date me, for whatever reasons." Roy looked at Greed sharply now, wanting confirmation, which the taller teen gave him in form of a nod. He then looked down to his feet again.

"I also realized then that while I know he has feelings for me, probably even loves me, he can't bring himself to be ok with it. That his feelings for you are still too dominant to let him feel free to express emotions for someone else. It occurred to me then that this might never change."

The short-haired teen hadn't known about this. He and Ed had an unspoken agreement to not talk about his dates with Roy. Or anything that had to do with him really. So it came as quite a surprise to Greed that Ed was holding himself back like this.

The messy-haired man looked at him now again, his eyes showing a new determination.

"I want to suggest to you that we share him. I'm aware how that sounds, and I can also assure you that it has taken me some time to come to this decision because some selfish part of me doesn't agree with it at all, but I think it might be the best for him. It's obvious for me that he still loves you and doesn't want to forget about you, even though he has feelings for me too. Seeing you now it's also clear to me that you never stopped loving him." The green-eyed teen let out a humorless laugh at that, but nodded, showing that this was the truth.

"I haven't talked about this with Ed yet, so I don't know if he would even be willing to try to split himself between the two of us, but I wanted to see if you were ok with it first. I don't want to give him hope that might be crushed again because you wouldn't be able to agree to it too." George could see the logic behind that. Sitting back he leaned against the wall, staring at the bed across from his. It was empty, but that didn't matter. His thoughts were with its owner anyway.

Sharing Ed. It would mean that he could actually have his beloved back, even though it would mean he couldn't have him completely for himself. He didn't like the thought of sharing, but wasn't that what he was doing now anyway? Only that now, while he shared the blond with the older youth, it was only the time that was shared. All he had from him right now was his friendship. And while he would treasure that gift until the day he would die, the chance to actually hold him again, to kiss him again… to be allowed to _love_ him again… it was tempting. It was oh so tempting…

"I know that it is a hard decision, and I didn't expect you to know the answer right away. I just wanted to bring it up with you as soon as possible because I don't want to see this pain in Edward anymore. For me it's clear that no matter which of us he will be, he won't be happy. I'm not sure if I'm prepared to a full three-way relationship, but after thinking it over for myself, I found that I can live with sharing Ed with you. I know that you love him just as genuinely as I do, and I can respect you as a person from what I have heard about you. I'm convinced that this could work – if we all are okay with it."

Greed's eyes had fallen to the ring that lay on the border of Ed's desk by now. He had taken it off the day they had decided that it would be better for him to date Roy, but he never put it away. It had been lying there on his desk all the time.

Standing up he walked to the desk and lifted the ring into his hand, closing his eyes and just feeling it between his fingers. It was hard to explain, but whenever he had held this ring in his hands – even before he had given it to the blond – it had felt as if it was talking to him. Not real words, but… feelings and later, after the golden-eyed teen had already worn it, the feeling was the same. He himself had explained it with the feelings he had put into the alchemy as he made it.

Feeling the black eyes of the other on his back, watching him, he nodded at last, before putting the ring back down and turning around.

"You are right. I still love Ed and I probably will until I die. If this gives me the chance to have him back, even if only half of him, I will take it. I broke up with him back then because I thought it was the right thing to do, but now I see that I should have thought about something like this happening. If he thinks that he can live with splitting his feeling between us – though, truthfully, he already does – then I'm in," he answered him, his voice soft, not sure if he wanted to believe that this was really happening just yet.

Roy stood up then and laid one hand on his shoulder, forcing a smile.

"Then I think I should go now. I'm glad that we agree on this. All I ever wanted was for Ed to be happy, and I really believe that this is the only way for him to _truly_ be happy. Also, I'm glad that he has a good friend like you." The black-eyed man bowed his head slightly before squeezing his shoulder and turning towards the door.

"Ed and I have a date tomorrow; I'll bring this up to him then. So be prepared that he might come back asking you about it."

Greed nodded and a slight grin showed through. It was a faint shadow of his usual 'shit-eating grin' (as Ed had titled it), but it was there.

"Thank you for coming here. And for placing so much trust in me," he told the older youth, seeing him return the grin with a small smile of his own.

"As I said – I only want Ed to be happy. And I will do whatever I have to archive this. If it means to put my own personal feelings on the backburner, well then so be it. This way it might be more complicated, but at least we all have a chance at happiness."

Roy had reached the door by then and opened it. With one last nod towards George he went out, closing it behind him again and leaving the green-eyed teen alone again.

Letting himself fall back down on his bed the short-haired teen looked at the ceiling.

Well, this certainly hadn't been expected.

A grin crept on his lips again, showing a happiness within him that hadn't been there since the day he broke up (off) with Ed. True, the blond hadn't agreed to their idea yet, but Greed had a feeling that he would. Which meant that maybe by tomorrow night, he would be allowed to have his beloved back in his arms.

The grin turned into a warm smile and his gaze turned towards the bed on the other side of the room.

He would have Edward back.

Suddenly, his life seemed to look up again.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed :P

(and yes, I admit, I can't make George suffer for more than a few chapters at a time =_= He totally has wrapped me around his little finger^^;; *pats him*)


	14. Chapter 15

_**Lovely Rebel**_  
_**Rating:**_ M  
_**Pairing(s)/Threesome:**_ Ed/Greed, later there will be Ed/Roy which will finally lead up to Ed/Greed/Roy. Oh, and I even managed to squeeze in past Roy/Ed XD There are also hints at past Al/Winry  
_**Warnings:**_ angst, sap, AT, lemons, Ed's mouth, humor, trying to sound as if I understand alchemy XD  
_**Word Count Chapter:**_ 3.103  
_**Word Count FF posted to date:**_ 53.682  
_**Summary:**_ Ed's brother puts him on a boarding school after having had to deal with him one time too often.  
_**Thanks:**_ To anime_gal22 and lectawindwalker for the amazing Beta jobs they did on this! *hugs them both*  
_**Author's Note:**_ Well, I'm sure you've all been waiting for this, so I won't bore you with anything beforehand. Be sure to read the note at the end though ~.^

* * *

_**Lovely Rebel – Chapter 15**_

Roy was nervous. It wasn't something that happened to him all that often, but it was definitely happening now.

His talk with George the day before had gone better than he had dared to hope, though it had also shown how right he was with his assumption. The feelings between the two teens were still there and just as strong as they had been the day he had met Ed. And while some part of him had hoped that he was wrong, that the blond was only having a really hard time to switching from one lover to the next, it had given him the necessary motivation to see this plan through. As he had said before – he wouldn't give the golden-eyed teen up, no matter what he had to do. The only reason that he could accept would be if he genuinely believed that Ed couldn't be happy with him.

However, as it turned out, he didn't seem to be able to be happy with only one of them – him or George. So, if he really wanted to make him happy, he had to do this. And it wasn't as if he would lose him. Edward would still be his – he would only belong to another too. It ate on him, the thought of sharing the blond. But he reasoned that, if everything went as he thought it would, he probably would have more of his boyfriend once the plan was set into action than he had had of him until now.

Nodding to himself once more to set his determination straight, he left his house. This would work.

For Edward, he would _make_ it work.

~*~*~H~*~*~

Punctual as usual, the black-haired man was knocking on the door which he knew led to Edward's and George's dorm room. The guards had gotten used to him by now – they waved him through as soon as they saw him, without checking with the information first. He thought it was lazy, but he didn't see any reason to report it. In his opinion guards for a school were still more than was needed.

Opening the door for him, Ed smiled at him, but just like every time before, Roy could still detect the underlying sadness that he tried to repress. And, just like every other time before, the older youth acted as if he didn't see it and smiled happily back at the teen.

"Shall we?" he asked him, seeing him nod.

"I just need to put on some shoes. I'll be with you in a second," the blond answered, vanishing within the room again but leaving the door open for his date to come in if he wanted.

The black-eyed man chose to stay where he was. However, he did make eye-contact with the room's other occupant and they nodded to each other. It could be misunderstood as a reserved greeting, but they both knew what it was for – it was a reminder that the plan still stood.

Then the golden-eyed teen was suddenly there again, taking his hand and turning him around, closing the door behind himself with a few called words for his friend.

"So, what is the plan for tonight?" his shorter date asked him, trying for a grin. It was genuine – just as much as the smile had been – but it wasn't as powerful as he had gotten used to them during winter break. Though he hoped that maybe by the end of this evening, he would finally see him express all his emotions again – for real.

Squeezing the hand in his, he returned the grin, already walking towards his car.

"I thought we should just get something to eat tonight. I'm honestly too tired to attempt anything else and a nice, relaxing dinner with you would be just what I need," he suggested, seeing the blond give him a nod.

"Sure, that's ok with me. Any preferences on the restaurant?" he was asked and therefore told the teen about the restaurant where he had made reservations. It was a nice little thing where they would be given plenty of privacy – just what he needed for tonight. Also, the food was good and the atmosphere relaxing, so he actually liked it there too. And he hadn't lied to his boyfriend, he really wanted to relax. The strain of the last few days, with the realization of what he had to do, was wearing at him.

He didn't tell him about the fact that he needed to talk with him yet, though. Ed would be too nervous to eat, and that wasn't his goal. They should try to relax first before he would bring the topic up. If he guessed correctly, then the younger youth would want to go back to the dorms right after to check with his ex-lover. And he really didn't want for them to rush out of the restaurant in the middle of the meal because of it.

~*~*~H~*~*~

The waiter had taken their dinner plates away and they had ordered dessert. The blond thought that now would be an appropriate time.

"Ok, I can see that something is not letting you relax for real tonight. I thought it might get better, but it obviously didn't. Spill," he told his date. Roy had tried to hide the fact that he was nervous about something, but it hadn't taken him long to catch on to it. And while one part of him didn't really want to know – a part feared that it might be something to do with them and their… _progress_. Or lack thereof – he wanted to help his boyfriend.

The black-haired man gave him an amused grin.

"I actually had planned to bring the topic up myself now. You just beat me to it." The younger of the both of them was told, making him grin in return. Then the black-eyed man was suddenly growing serious again.

"I went to your school yesterday. To talk to George." Roy told him, and suddenly everything inside him grew cold. He could feel his eyes narrow and his good mood leaving.

"I told you that there is nothing between us anymore!" he hissed, not seeing another reason why the older youth would want to speak with his friend. It hurt to find out that he apparently didn't trust Ed's word enough that he needed to check for himself. It hurt a lot.

The taller man shook his head, his expression still serious.

"It wasn't like that. Though I can see why you would think that," he reassured the blond, who calmed down somewhat, though he remained skeptical. What other reason would his boyfriend have to talk with his ex-lover?

"I went there because I wanted to propose something to George," the black-haired man continued, confusing Ed even more.

"Propose? What would you propose to him?" he asked, frowning slightly. Then he could suddenly see the tension within his older date, the slight nervousness that he tried to hide.

'He isn't sure how I'm going to react to it.' The short teen realized and it took all his willpower not to panic. He had to trust Roy. Had to trust that he wouldn't do anything that would destroy anything.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, the black-eyed man looked at him. When he spoke again, his voice was gentle, but determined.

"Ed, for the past few weeks that we have dated, I have been able to see that while one part of you clearly enjoys being with me, another part was sad whenever we met. It has taken me a while to figure out why that could be, but I think I understand now," he told him, and the blond had to try not to panic or to disrupt him. He could imagine where this was leading, and he shook his head in denial. If Roy broke up with him now because he thought Ed should date Greed again… he didn't know what he would do. It had hurt like crazy to go through that once. There was no way that he wanted to go through it again.

Able to guess the golden-eyed teen's panic, Roy reached out and took one of his hands over the table, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Don't worry; I won't break up with you. I was just stating what I had observed to explain my actions," the older man explained, his voice strong while still not rising above the soft tone they were talking in.

"I went to meet with George yesterday because I want you to be happy. And it has taken me this long to figure out that there is probably only one thing that would make you _truly_ happy. It wasn't an easy decision to make on my part, I will admit that much, but I think it will be for the best. I told George of my thoughts and he agreed to it. So we both have come to an understanding and I promised that I would bring it up with you today."

Now the short teen really didn't know what to think of it all anymore. What kind of understanding could that possibly be? He had felt that Greed seemed to feel better today than he had for the last few weeks, but he had thought it might only because he was finally learning to deal with the pain. But if what Roy said was right, it probably had to do with their talk.

"What did you two talk about?" he asked at last, his voice somewhat hesitant and not really certain that he wanted to know.

The older youth was now nervous again, he could see it. It made him nervous himself.

"I proposed to him that we share you," he told the golden-eyed teen, making him grow still in shock.

"You _what_?" Ed asked, not sure if he could trust his ears that he had heard correctly.

"I asked him if he would be ok with it if we share you," Roy repeated, this time a bit calmer. He seemed to be able to get himself back under control, now that it was out. "Ed, for the last few weeks I could see that while you tried, you couldn't really let go whenever we were together. I thought about it, and comparing your behavior to what I know of you and the way you behaved during winter break, I came to the conclusion that no matter how much you want to be with me, there is also a large part within you that wants to be with George. It's obvious that your feelings for him are still quite strong and I went to see him yesterday to see if the reverse was also still true. It is, and therefore I thought it would be the best solution for us all," the black-haired man explained, his tone showing how sure he was of his theory. The younger of the both of them was just sitting there, shocked about what his boyfriend was telling him. It really was too much to process right now.

"I have to be honest – the thought of sharing didn't sit well with me when I first came up with it. But by now I can see that no matter whom of us you are with, you won't be happy. Not if you can only be with one of us. It's a logical conclusion that we should agree to this. You are holding yourself back when you are with me, and you are repressing your feelings that you still have for George. Leaving you free to be with the both of us is in my opinion the only way for everything to work out," Roy concluded, looking at Edward with a determined look in his eyes. A gaze that the blond couldn't hold. He looked down on the tablecloth to go over everything the older of the two of them had said.

The black-haired man left him to his thoughts, having already had the forethought that his date would probably need time to think this over. Seeing the waiter with their desserts arriving, he waved him over, thanking him and asking for the bill to be brought over. He had no delusions that they would be leaving shortly.

"You mean that, right? This isn't just a joke," he finally heard the teen ask, his voice barely more than a whisper.

The messy-haired youth shook his head.

"I wanted to make sure George was okay with this before I brought it up to you as to not give you any false hope. But yes, I mean this. If you agree with us that this would be the best for you, then from now on, we'll have an arrangement of sorts. We both don't wish at the current time to share a relationship with each other as well, but we are ok with the idea of the other being with you," he confirmed with a firm nod, seeing for the first time in weeks the waves of excitement and vibration coming from his date, speaking of the life that was once again awakened within him. It was in that moment that he knew he wouldn't back down, no matter what Ed would say. Just this reaction already told him more than anything else that this was what the blond wanted, what he _needed_. And he would make sure that he got it.

~*~*~H~*~*~

Neither of them remembered dessert. They hadn't talked much more in the restaurant, Ed obviously still coming to terms with what he had heard and realizing that he wouldn't have to repress half of his feelings anymore.

After they left the restaurant, before they got in the car, the blond suddenly threw his arms around the taller youth and held him close while pulling his head down to kiss him.

It didn't take Roy long to realize how different this kiss was already. Before, the kisses they shared had always been good. They had spoken of underlying need and promises of someday. But this kiss… God, the older youth had to watch himself to keep from drowning in it.

It was everything he had ever imagined how it would be between the two of them. Hot, passionate, deep and full of emotions. The blond was telling him through the kiss how much he appreciated his effort in seeing that he was happy, that he loved him and that he would always be grateful to be given this chance.

It was more than he could ever have said in words.

After the kiss broke off again, the shorter of the two of them laid his forehead against Roy's collarbone, his arms still wrapped around the black-haired man, trying to get his breathing back to normal. When he finally looked up again he had the most brilliant smile on his lips. Reaching up with his left hand he traced the form of the black-eyed man's lips, his eyes shining.

"I love you. I know I haven't told you before, but I do," the blond told him and the taller youth couldn't help his own smile while he replied in kind, just before kissing his boyfriend again.

He had been right. Edward had been holding himself back because of his own confused feelings. Now, that he had a chance to work it all out, he was finally able to let go.

~*~*~H~*~*~

Roy had seen him off at the gate to the school after checking him back in, telling him that it was better if he would speak to George alone. The teen could only guess that the older youth knew that he probably wouldn't be able to hold himself back from tugging him into their room as well. And he had to talk with Greed first.

He still couldn't believe that this all was true. That he was really allowed to love them both, to _be_ with them both. There was a skip in his step as he nearly ran to the dorm room he shared with his ex-and-soon-to-be-again lover and a grin on his face that nearly split it in half. He hadn't felt this happy in a long time, if ever. But really, what could be better? He had two wonderful boyfriends, who loved him beyond reason – something he could clearly see through all they did to make him happy – and who would do anything for him. School would only be for another few months, and while he didn't know exactly what he was going to do afterwards, he had a feeling that everything would work out.

Opening the door to their room, his eyes only took a second to find the taller teen, leaning against the desk beside his bed, a smile on his face. Now that he could get a good look at the blond, he lifted his right hand and held the ring he had given him to his birthday up.

"Don't you think you are missing something?" he asked, just before Ed threw his arms around him and pressed himself close, burying his face in the muscular chest before him. It took the slightly older teen only a few seconds to return the embrace, holding him just as tightly.

"God, I have missed you so much." Greed murmured after some moments, his own face buried in the long hair before him, feeling the shorter one only nod and squeeze his arms even tighter around him.

They stood like that for some minutes, neither ready to let go of the other again. When they finally loosened their hold, the green-eyed teen took the blond's hand, and, after seeing him nod his consent, slipped the ring onto the proper finger once again. Once he had done that, Ed leaned up while pulling the short-haired teen down to him, pressing his lips to his in a nearly desperate kiss.

It was… _electric_. They could both feel the feelings that were running through the other, could feel the desire that crackled between them. This kiss was not only to reaffirm their love for each other; it was also to express their feelings of possessiveness and longing, of desperation and need.

Pulling away for only a second, Greed leaned his forehead against the other teen's, gazing deep into his eyes, finding them just as glazed over with desire as his own.

"Make love to me again. Show me that I still belong to you," he rasped, his voice filled with everything he couldn't say. The blond just pulled him down for another kiss, just as intense as the first, and led him to the nearest bed.

* * *

^_^ I know, there are quite a few of you who have waited for it to get to this point again ^_^ However, this isn't even close to the end yet.

Anyway, **THE NEXT CHAPTER IS A LEMON!** I just wanted to make that clear, since apparently, chapter four wasn't found by everyone. This won't concern those of you who are reading on lj, but for those reading on , please keep in mind that I don't post my lemons there. So, if you want to read the next chapter, you'll have to check it out on lj. You can find it easily by going to my Master Fic List over the link in my profile. It's the last on that page, so easily found. I'll put a reminder up in the chapter that will follow the lemon, but you might want to check if it's up sooner than that^^


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